Chapter Four:
The month of August past by so slowly, Ariana thought that July had been a dream, but one look at her owl, Phoenix, she knew it had been real. A week before the first of September Ariana had went downstairs to where her parents had been watching TV. Ever since her birthday they had been ignoring her and giving her more chores than they normally did. She had found it hard to find a moment where she could go to get her new clothes, which she had hidden from her parents
"Mum? Dad? Can I ask you guys something? It's about my new school..." Ariana said softly, they had bad mouthed her new school all the way back home that day but Ariana never once heard them say she wasn't allowed to go. "I need to be to King's Cross train station on the first of the month...Can... can you guys take me?"
"So that's just the way it's supposed to be is it?" Her Dad stood up, he was a tall skinny man but had a temper. "After everything we did for you, taking you in, feeding you, you're just going to run away? Leave us to take care of this house all by ourselves?"
"Dad... no... I mean, it's an amazing school and you wont have to pay for anything! It'll be great you guys wont have to feed me till next summer, and I'll write you every day! And-" SLAP.
Ariana stood there for a moment almost not realizing what had just happened. A growing hot feeling across the left side of her face told her he had just slapped her. Her hand flew to her face and she looked down at her feet.
"We aren't taking you anywhere. You want to go so bad, you find you're own way there." He sat back down as if nothing had just happened.
Ariana quickly and quietly made her way back up the stairs where she packed a small bag with her new clothes and placed them in her trunk with all of her other school things that she had taken time in packing so carefully. She had been understanding over the years, always making excuses for them, saying they were just in a bad mood that day, or that she deserved it. But she no longer wanted to stay here. She carefully let Phoenix out of his cage and wrote a quick note to the only person she could think of.
Hagrid,
My parents said they aren't taking me to King's Cross. I'm in trouble and I have no other way of getting there. You told me to send word if I needed help well I'm scared. I've locked myself in my room. Please help me.
-Ariana
Ariana folded the letter up and handed it to Phoenix. "Please take this to Hagrid Phoenix, as fast as you can." Ariana whispered afraid, her parents would hear her.
Three days passed since the night she sent out Phoenix and she hadn't heard anything back and she had started to worry. Maybe he got lost? Or something happened to Phoenix! Her mind ran with worry as she did her chores. It was the night before the train would leave when a visitor showed up.
Ariana had been waiting on her parents during dinner when there came a knock at the door. Her parents looked up at her as though it was her fault. "I'll go get that." Ariana said running towards the door to stop the knocking. As she opened it a man standing there with shaggy black hair stood there, "Ariana Potter?"His voice was softer than she thought it was going to be.
"Yes, sir. That's me..." Ariana said, giving a small sigh, Hagrid had to have gotten her letter.
"Wow, you look just like you're mother... Well except for the hair and that one eye." The man helped himself inside ruffling her hair. "That takes right after your Dad." He stood in the hallway for a moment both of them looking at each other. "Well, go get your things, we are leaving."
Ariana turned to run up the stairs but caught sight of her parents. "And just where do you think you are going?" Her Dad asked.
"Um, well you guys told me I could go to school as long as I found a way. And I did... This is, um, well, this is a friend..."
"I'm her God Father. And I'll be taking over from here." The man behind her took a step forward, "Go get your things Ari."
"She ain't going anywhere." Her Dad said.
"Honey, stop, do you realize who that is?" Her Mum grabbed his arm. "That's the murderer that was on the telly last year! That is Sirius Black!" Her voice broke at the last word.
"That's right, now unless you want a little incident then you better step aside while Ariana goes and gets her stuff," He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the couple. "I'm leaving and taking my God Daughter with me," Sparks shot out the end of his wand. The couple back away as Ariana ran upstairs and grabbed her trunk, hauling it down the stairs. As she stopped at the door next to Sirius she turned to the people who had brought her up.
"I'm sorry... I... I really want this... you... you guys never treated me right... and I always made excused for you but I can't anymore... I don't know where I'm going to go after this, but I assume I'm right in thinking I wont be able to come back?"
"You got that right. You leave, and we don't want to see your face around here ever again." The man she used to call Dad almost spit.
"Yeah, alright... I really did love you guys as my parents... but I see now what you really wanted, a free slave." Ariana stood up straight, a single tear ran down her face and splashed onto the carpet, she gave one last look at the two people who had raised her and walked out.
