AN: I never imagined that this would be my first fanfic published, seeing as I started several others way before this, but this happened to be the first one to get finished. Hope you enjoy it. Also, seeing as this is Ariana's POV, I'm not being as strict on grammar and such, because this is how she thinks. I would love reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize from Harry Potter books/movies.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
She would cover her ears, bury her face into pillows. Scream.
'Stop! Stop! S-Stop it, t-time, m-me… Stooooooooooooooopppppppppppppppp'
The energy coursing through her body made her mind go at a hundred miles a minute. She would shake, hands trembling. Fear. Fear was always there. Something behind her. She whirled, fists clenching.
'Stop! STOP! You c-c-can't… Understand. Me. P-please! Help me!'
She grasped into empty air, reaching for something, anything to hold onto. Walls. Walls were good. Sturdy.
Sturdy… Good… 'No! Bad!'
She clawed at the stone walls; too flat. Far too flat. Can't… Hold on…
She sunk to the ground, still grasping around. Something. Anything. Her hands were still shaking so much. It was so hard to breath now. She was running. Running a marathon in her mind, and she could not possibly obtain enough air to fill her lungs. Fear. It hung on her breaths, each one coming out shorter by the second.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
When she screamed, there was no air to suck in. It's a hassle… Breathing...
Flashing lights.
Green, gold, purple. Loud noises. Explosions of fire. Bright conflagrations of gold. Strong blue light, coruscating. So pretty.
Ariana…? A worried voice.
ARIANA!
Good. Home again. Home is good. Good. She smiles, though adrenaline still rushes through her nerves. Her eyes wander aimlessly around the room for a moment, trying to focus. Everything seems to spin. Walls… Floor… Books… Stairs… It all blends into one picture. Aberforth's there too. Yay! 'A-Abby...' she manages, smiling so sweetly. Her brother looks stunned. After another going over of the room, she realizes there is a large crater in the stone wall. I did that. She glows with pride. I'm here, see? I did that. She turns to beam at Aberforth, who still has his tongue in a knot. 'E-ex-peri-MENTing,' She explains clearly. He looks very confused, best to state it clearly, so he can understand. 'Me,' she confirms, giving him a grin. Lies, lies. Not true. Accidents… Accidents…
"It was just an accident, Albus, she lost control!"
A stressed, drawn out breath. "How do— How do we control it?"
"I don't know… mother always… She could calm her, and I—"
"Mother isn't here anymore, Aberforth. Father isn't either... It's just us. You, me and Ariana."
"I don't know what to do Albus…" Stifled sobs. "She can't control herself anymore! She lost control, and now we're alone!"
"Do you blame her?"
"No." Resentfully. "No, I blame those filthy MUGGLES." The word was spat contemptuously. "For what they did to her. They RUINED her! The world would be better without muggles, I think. They're practically a danger to themselves, Albus, you should've seen…"
"What? What happened?"
"Nothing." Aberforth says it too quickly.
"What. Happened."
"Just a fight… It happened yesterday…"
Silence. "...But you didn't get involved." Albus says it skeptically.
"...No."
"Good... Muggles don't always think before they act, that's why fights happen so often."
"Yeah…"
"Neither do SOME wizards, might I remind you," He says it playfully, but Ariana knows it hurts Aberforth's pride.
"Whatever… I didn't get involved this time, though. Was I a good boy, MOTHER?"
"Don't abuse her death," Came the angry response.
Footsteps, as Aberforth leaves without another word. Albus sighs.
Aberforth pauses, says nothing for a moment, only stares.
"Ari, are you alright?"
She could only stare at him. Supposed… To respond… Her tongue was thick in her throat. It took all of her willpower to be able to nod her head. Lies. They came so easily to her. Anything, she would say anything, if only to get away with having to say nothing.
When he hugged her, she could only grip him as tight as possible, fingernails digging into his shirt, clinging so tightly that he finally pulled away. "You have sharp nails," he murmured awkwardly.
She smiles at that too. Sunshiney. Sunny… I don't like the clouds… Dark… Make it stop… Make it stop...
'MAKE IT STOP!'
So dark… The lights, flashing, the wands, clashing. So dark, dark, dark…
Albus stands in front of her. He wants to keep her safe. He deflects flying jinxes, curses, spells… One man attempting to stand in between two warring armies. She thinks he is very brave.
The anger and hate flickered on the air, and she could feel it. What? That wasn't normal. Dark… Power… Anger… It was as though she absorbed it. The air surrounding her crackled with magic. I want it… To STOP!
Aberforth crumpled with a yelp of pain, and the other man, the blonde wizard, lowered his wand momentarily, turning to Albus, who still had his wand raised. "Don't hurt them." He said quietly. Ariana heard the tremble in his voice.
"Then fight me," The other wizard breathed, a smile flickered onto his face at the prospect. "I don't want to hurt them anyways. You know, I may have grown a bit fond of the little bastard…" He smirked, gaze flickering to Aberforth, on the ground, struggling to rise. Without even raising his wand, the blonde struck a blow to the boy magically, knocking the breath from Aberforth as if he'd been punched.
"I said stop it," Albus's voice was high pitched. He was afraid, and it was showing.
His friend closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry Albus… It has to be this way." His face looked insincere; a well laid smirk below glittering eyes… However… there was something in his voice that sounded genuine. Ariana watched. She wondered.
He loved Albus, she decided. He loved Albus, just as Albus loved her. Not enough to stay… Albus didn't plan to stay, she knew that much. He had other things on his mind. Important things. Other things to do, places to be... This man loved albus however. Enough, she figured, to make it very hard for him to leave.
They stared at each other for a moment, and both knew that it was inevitable.
The fighting started again when Aberforth returned to his feet and fired a spell at the blonde wizard, who deflected it with ease. He casually fired a curse at the younger without warning, with a kind of proud nonchalance that said he didn't care.
Albus did. He stopped the curse, and angrily sent it rebounding at his friend.
"I DON'T NEED YOU PROTECTING ME!" Aberforth yelled angrily. "I can hold my own, you know!" More spells. Flashing lights. The blonde laughed at the bold exclamation. It was strained, however; Ariana could tell.
It was in the way the first breath came out. It was forced and harsh. Raw, like the voice had been screaming. Screaming for a very long time. She knew these things. Every sound echoed in the small stone cellar. Almost like being blind. Yet, she could see so much more with her eyes closed.
Maybe that's why the man had closed his eyes before, she thinks.
Aberforth isn't as strong as either of his opponents. She knows he won't survive like this. I want to help.
She wills her pent up energy into Aberforth. Maybe this will help him survive.
It only makes things worse. His spells are startlingly powerful now. Too powerful. His anger only fuels it. When Albus keeps defending his blonde friend, Aberforth takes Albus on as a second opponent. Now he's outnumbered though.
"Stop this, Aberforth!" Albus yells angrily, as he continues to deflect the spells. The blonde smirks, shaking his head as he deflects the magic with ease.
"THEN STOP DEFENDING HIM!" Aberforth yells back. "YOU KNOW WHAT HE DESERVES! So let him have it!"
It was suddenly a shouting match between cast spells and flying jinxes. Aberforth's spells are getting bigger, stronger, with the amount of anger he builds. One should never underestimate the power of the unconscious mind.
The blonde friend steps in to assist Albus, but Albus doesn't want his help. He participates anyways, but with noticeably less zeal than the other two.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT ALBUS! ALL OF IT! FROM THE VERY START! BUT HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THAT, WHEN YOU'RE NOT EVEN HERE TO NOTICE?!"
"ABERFORTH, THIS ISN'T ABOUT ARIANA! WHAT HAPPENED WAS AN ACCIDENT! IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE MUGGLES, WE BOTH AGREED ON THAT!"
"OH SORRY, I FORGOT! THAT'S WHAT YOU AND THAT BASTARD FRIEND OF YOURS ARE DO—AH!" Aberforth let out a yelp of pain as a stinging curse hit him from the side.
"Watch what you say, Goatboy," the blonde hisses angrily.
In response, Aberforth turns on him instead, firing a dangerous curse. "I'LL SAY WHAT I WANT, BASTARD!"
"ABERFORTH STOP IT!" Albus fires at Aberforth, who deflects it. Aberforth's's so angry now. So dark, darkdark…
"YOU'RE A TRAITOR!' he screams, taking them both on at once, letting loose all that power. All the anger, emotions. "TRAITOR! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
And suddenly it's too much to take. All the spells, the noises, the yelling, the fighting. Ariana screams, shuts her eyes, covers her ears.
And then the world explodes.
She opens her eyes, for a fraction of a second. Albus had turned his head, for a fraction of a second, to look at her, concerned. Aberforth takes use of that fraction of a second, and madly screams incoherently, as a massive jet of green light blasts from his wand. The blonde also takes use of that fraction of a second. In a swift movement, he fires a powerful spell that barrels into Albus, sending him flying ten yards away.
Albus is no longer standing in front of her. All she sees is green light.
It wrapped her up in a warm glow of bright light and beautiful colors. That's what she remembers. Colorful lights. They were warm, this time, not cold, like in the cellar.
Good. We're finally home. She can breath again.
