Summary: Harry ends up being thrown out of the Dursleys household. Because of a Death Eater he gets sent back in time. See how his life will turn out when he acquires an unusual guardian, crazy friends and a feared ability. Necromancer!Harry. Slash
Pairings: Harry/multi, but the main pairings are HPLV and HPLM. Others are still undecided.
Disclaimer: don't own Harry Potter or any canon characters. The characters you don't recognize are probably mine as well as the plot.
A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for your reviews! It always warms my heart to read them. In this chapter I will be introducing a new character, so a half of it will be a huge flashback, which I tried to shorten as much as possible. There won't be many of them in my story, so I ask you to bear with me. :)
To answer some of your questions, yes, Milly will play a great role as Harry's friend throughout the story. I'm looking forward to writing them working together. –cackles evilly- I have all those wonderful ideas about how to mesh magic and drugs.
And Marie really did die. She was deathly ill and wasn't really important in the story, other than the fact that she gave Hadrian his name and was the one to find him.
This chapter is also proofread in haste because I have to go away for a week and I don't even have my bags packed yet! So, if you notice any mistakes, don't worry, I'll try to fix them when I return. I just really wanted to update before departing:)
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 4. The Experiment.
When Hadrian had first heard about a graveyard nearby, he had envisioned grim crosses and statues of angels looming threateningly over the last last refuge of men and women. He envisioned the breathtaking feeling of darkness dancing in the air and the atmosphere of dreariness combined with fear, both humbling and exciting.
Now, looking at the small area with simple wooden crosses and ordinary grey stones instead of imposing sculptures, Hadrian felt cheated.
Kamaria stuck out her tongue into the air, as if feeling it. Her eyes flashed a bright brilliant blue when she sensed something peculiar.
"It's here," she hissed, slithering down her master's body to the carpet of dry leaves. She slid forward with determination, turning her head to the sides in search of the power calling to her. In her excitement she didn't notice what was happening around, ignoring Hadrian's cautious footsteps behind her and his wary calls.
The boy didn't yet know what they would find or what he even expected to happen to him at the graveyard – he had never been to any funerals before, and the orphanage was situated quite far from any cemetery.
Strangely enough, something was compelling him to move forward, to the place Kamaria was leading. It was an inexplicable urge, a sudden whim.
Now, Hadrian usually wasn't the one to indulge in adventures and caprices – the years of experiencing the aftermath of those impulses had taught him well – but he had learned to trust his instincts, however unreasonable they seemed.
He became concerned, though, when they had neared the edge of the fence, yet the snake didn't stop. Eventually, Hadrian was led to a withered tree, under which two lone tombstones stood, apart from the other graves.
"Found it!" the snake exclaimed gleefully, her forked tongue tasting the air again. She looked at her companion, waiting for grateful speeches or at least sounds of approval of some kind. Hadrian was too busy reading the names to notice her disapproving stare when none followed.
"What strange names," he muttered out loud, hand tapping his chin pensively. "This girl here, Ariana Dumbledore… It seems like she died at just fourteen. Must have been dreadful for her parents to lose her. And Kendra… Her mother, maybe?"
Kamaria tilted her head and her scales flashed in the moonlight. "Honestly, I don't care. Are you going to reward me now? Carrying me in your hands seems like a good idea. I'm so awfully tired," she complained in a hissy whine.
" I'm sure that walking a couple of feet wasn't such a chore," Hadrian snapped. He had been carrying her for a few hours and this nosy creature had the gall to actually complain! "Why should I reward you anyway? You have done nothing but aggravate me!"
Kamaria hissed, offended. "We slither, not walk. And I have located those magical humans you wanted to find so badly. It's not my fault they are already dead."
Hadrian sighed and sat upon one of the low tombstones. He was tired and there were no benches and, well, it's not like the corpses underneath could complain, right?
"Can't you do the same thing you did to me?" Kamaria asked suddenly. "You know, raise one of them from the dead. Probably the girl is better. I don't want to associate myself with some old aunty. They scream too much for me to like them. Young ones, at least, sometimes find my scales fascinating. Just like they should."
Hadrian looked at her contemplatively but in the end only shook his head. "I'm exhausted. Not to mention that I really don't know how in the world I've managed to do it to you."
"You mean to tell me… That you experimented on me?" Kamaria looked so angry with her glowering light blue eyes that for a second the boy thought she might strike him, and leaned away a bit. "What if you damaged my lovely scales?"
"It's not like you would have cared even if something had gone wrong. I mean, you were a corpse, for God's sake!"
"God?" Kamaria looked mildly interested, her previous anger forgotten. "Is it something you can eat?"
"Umm… Not really. God is… some kind of higher power… oh, how do you explain it to a snake?"
"Hey! I might not have limbs like you, but I'm far from unintelligent." She looked incredibly smug at that, not wavering even under Hadrian's skeptical gaze. "In fact, you are lucky to have got such a bright snake like me."
"Are you implying that I can call you my pet now?"
Kamaria reared up in offense, hissing affrontedly. "Say no such foolish things, human child. I'm too great to have masters."
"You would be dead now if not for me. This way you certainly wouldn't have had any masters," Hadrian pointed out. "Now that I think about it… I have been feeling this strange thread connecting me to you ever since that time. What would happen if I snap it, how do you think?" Hadrian tapped his chin in contemplation. "Oh, yeah, probably no more 'tender meat' for you, as you put it back then."
It was true that ever since resurrecting the snake, no matter how useless she was, he had been feeling quite tired, and not just because of his hunger and long hours of pointless walking in the forest. Something was sucking energy from him, and Hadrian was determined to make it stop, especially if he was going to spend unidentifiable amount of time here of all places.
The boy closed his eyes and concentrated. Meditation had always been the thing which calmed him the most. No matter the circumstances. He had used it to relax long before Milly came along and introduced him to the joys of reading good books and talking to a friend.
Since he was little, he could go to a place in his mind filled with mist and where time passed slowly. If he absolutely had to call some place 'home', he would choose this one.
So, Hadrian wasn't surprised to feel his heartbeat change from rapid knocks against his small chest to even soothing beats. He imagined a sea of fog beneath him. That place inside his mind had always been quiet and eerily silent, to the point where not even his breathing could be heard and thoughts became distant and subdued, if not all there.
Now, though, there was a change.
True, the unnatural silence reigned even now, but in the expanses of dirty grey clouds Hadrian could feel something else, something foreign and taxing for his organism. He mentally floated to the place the alien feeling was coming from and stared in interest at the peculiar phenomenon of his mind.
It was a thread, no, actually, more like a thick rope running from the abyss that was the depths of his mind, from far beneath the clouds. It was connecting whatever was veiled from his gaze below with the boundaries of this place. It was piercing the invisible border of his mind and proceeded outside, where the living world was waiting for him.
Hadrian had never gone deeper than where he was now, and watched the twisting rope with something akin to disappointment in his eyes. He wasn't ready to plunge deeper.
He couldn't explain it, but the thought of going deeper left him breathless with fear and wariness and made a shudder run down his spine.
Hadrian liked intrigue and mysteries but he valued his life even more.
Remembering what he had arrived here for, he crouched on the ominous cloud just near the rope. He wanted to see what would happen if he cut the connection, which, he had no doubts, led to Kamaria. Would she die again? Or, maybe, she would do something else entirely?
A disturbing idea came to Hadrian's mind. 'Wait. They've always told us how snakes are violent and won't hesitate to attack anyone. But Kamaria, even if pretty useless, has never struck me as an aggressive per- err, snake. Maybe this thing keeps her from attacking me? And if I remove it… Won't it mean that she will pounce at me or something?'
Alert now, Hadrian edged away a bit. As if being out of the orphanage not enough, now there was a chance of a deranged snake attacking him!
His life was racing downside by each passing moment, and Hadrian felt depressed and helpless like never before. He was still a child, after all, and children were too 'dumb and immature', according to Mrs. Rickety, to make any astounding decisions.
He didn't agree with her on that part about intelligence, but he could readily admit that Milly always guided him whenever he was unable to do something or whenever he needed a piece of advice.
She was cool like that.
Hadrian glared at the rope with determination shining in his green eyes and decided that, well, if Kamaria would indeed attack him… He didn't know exactly what he would do but it would be something awesome. Something… magical.
He nodded to himself and gathered his willpower. Leaning forward, he hesitated before grabbing the rope – which, surprisingly, didn't hurt him – and tore it apart with his two tiny hands.
The sound was deafening, and for a second Hadrian felt a disturbing numbness settling in his ears. But the sensation went away as soon as it came, and a minute later, after a moment of hard breathing and stillness, Hadrian could proudly gaze upon the remnants of the rope.
It was burning slowly, almost painstakingly so, and Hadrian felt as if he had done himself no good: he was feeling more worn out than before, as if he had been carrying boxes filled with old bricks – something equally pointless but exhaustive all the same.
He decided that he had spent enough time in his… mind? Soul? Whatever and should be coming back now. Moreover, who knew what the snake could be doing with his unconscious body right now? She didn't have the rope chaining her anymore, after all.
Hadrian opened his eyes hastily and looked around for the snake, which would either be sulking or thinking of plans to assault him.
He found Kamaria a few feet away from him.
As it turned out, she was neither scheming nor pouting. She was simply lying on the ground, the blue and black coils twisted loosely. She didn't seem to breathe and when Hadrian called out uncertainly, she didn't respond.
He stopped in front of her and for a minute simply stood there, contemplating.
'So, my first assumption was right. It seems like whenever I resurrect someone, it makes me tired. But if I snap this rope, they die again. Wonder if it would happen to humans, too. Can I do this to humans at all?'
The thought came out of the blue, but Hadrian tilted his head as he considered it. He had never thought about the things he could do as magic, so he hadn't tried to experiment with his powers. Now, though… Why not? The place was perfect – no annoying nosy caretakers and no scared children running away with girly shrieks whenever he so much as glared at them.
And if something goes wrong… Well, it's not like anyone would find out or investigate.
Hadrian looked around. Luckily, the graveyard seemed like a perfect place to carry out some tests, what's with plenty of corpses lying around, as if waiting for him. He felt like a child in a sandbox. Or a candy shop. Except that the sandbox could be cemented and the candy shop could be empty and it all depended on him.
He walked to the tombstones where Kamaria had sensed magic coming from. They didn't seem like much – ordinary stones with engraved epitaphs. Why would this place reek of magic?
Hadrian shook his head and sat down near the grave of the younger girl, Ariana. Only now he noticed that out of the whole cemetery only hers was clean and neat, without weeds that had taken over most of the other graves.
Maybe, it was magic? Or was the graveyard not so abandoned as it seemed?
Throwing these thoughts out of his head, Hadrian touched the earth, the coolness of it soothing him and ridding him of anxiety immediately. He could do it. He was certain. Hadrian concentrated hard; trying to summon up the same angered feeling he had felt when Jonathan and Bart had sneaked into his room. The same rage and indignation were thrumming beneath his soft skin at the thought, giving him power, fuelling it.
All the leftovers of powers he had, Hadrian rammed them into the ground, willing it to go deeper, where the corpse of that girl was. Belatedly, he thought that maybe she had already rotten away too much to function and wouldn't be able to walk even if she wanted to anyway – he had never been interested in how fast people decay to research - but it was too late to do anything now.
His breathing was uneven when Hadrian finally leaned away from the grave and the flowers on it. He was drained had some difficulty breathing. He looked around and strained his ears to hear something and screw up his eyes to see any movement.
Nothing.
It was as if he hadn't just given all his remaining powers to this girl. Hadrian scowled. How impolite of her not to appreciate it and rise like a good little corpse.
Sighing gloomily, Hadrian rose to his feet, determined to find someplace to rest.
Or, well, tried to. His legs had given in and he fell to the ground, utterly drained from the hours of walking through the forest as well as from the experiments with that magic thing. By the time Hadrian hit the ground, he had already been fast asleep, a peaceful expression on his face.
XXX
He was woken up by a loud continuous sound. After blinking rapidly a few times to shake off the sleep, Hadrian was fully aware that, yes, the ugly screeching was coming from somewhere beneath him and definitely belonged to a female.
Hadrian rose to his feet swiftly, disregarding the buzzing in his head as he did so. The screams alternated with wild laughter, which rang like bells in Hadrian's ears, and for a split second the boy doubted it was wise to free this person. However, he pulled himself together and rushed to dig up this girl (if this was her, of course. If not… he would be in a bit of trouble).
'It was me to 'wake' her up. I think it's cruel to make her live for a few minutes – how long has she been alive, by the way? – only to destroy her connection to this world the next moment.'
With determination, Hadrian used all the force his frail, almost sickly, body could hold and applied it to digging up the grave. It was hard labour, the kind he wasn't yet used to like the older children in the orphanage were, those, who worked at the mines. For him, it was something new and unbearably taxing. At this very moment Hadrian swore to himself that he would never work as a miner.
The laughter-screaming, which bordered on hysterics, sent shudders down Hadrian's spine. Just to make it stop, he worked harder and harder, until, finally, his goal was accomplished and he was face to face with a beautifully adorned golden coffin.
Faltering, Hadrian raised his shaking dirty fingers to gently touch the lid and open the coffin. The girl who was inside got his breath caught in his throat.
She was beautiful, remarkably so, but this wasn't something particularly attention-grabbing. Hadrian was more shocked by her state of decay. Or, more correctly, complete lack of it.
"Aren't you supposed to be rotting? A skeeton?" Hadrian blurted out with wide emerald eyes.
"Aren't you supposed to be polite to strangers?" the girl, Ariana, retorted. "Why are you this rude?"
They stared at each other for a long minute, appraising each other's appearance. Then, Ariana gave out a short ringing laugh and her curly blond hair shook with the motion. She raised her blue eyes to look at him, a small smile playing on her delicate face.
"I'm alive, right? It's not a dream, then…" Her expression was filled with wonder as she looked at Hadrian. "What is your name? Were you really the one to wake me up? You look so… small. I've heard from my brother that Necromancers exist, but he always told me they are scary and menacing."
Hadrian swallowed his offense at the word 'small', opting to focus on the many questions running through his mind instead. "Why do you look normal? You are completely unlike what I thought a corpse would look like."
Ariana looked surprised for a moment, but then only shrugged. "My brother cast a preserving charm, I guess. Maybe you have heard about him. He's not as well-known as Albus," she spat out the name, her expression darkening with hatred. Hadrian didn't know who this Albus fellow was, but he pitied him. "But he is really smart and powerful, only shy. And modest. I have never seen anyone more humble."
She paused and cast her eyes down, on her intertwined deathly pale hands. "Not that I have seen many people at all. My brother's name is Aberforth. Aberforth Dumbledore." Her smile shone radiantly as she remembered her beloved brother.
"Umm… Sorry, never heard about the guy. You have mentioned Necromancers and that they can somehow do the same things as me. Oh, and I'm Hadrian, by the way. Don't bother with saying your name, I have read it on the tombstone already."
"Necromancers can raise the dead, obviously." She looked at him as if he were stupid. "Haven't your parents ever told you fairy tales?"
Hadrian ducked his head and pressed his lips into a tight line. "I don't have them. Parents, I mean."
"Oh. Sorry. What's your surname, by the way? You don't look like a Dumbledore at all, but maybe we are distant relatives. I guess, a lot of years have passed since my death and we could be. All purebloods are interrelated, after all."
"Paradis," Hadrian said. 'Purebloods? Interrelated? Ewww. Maybe, it's like in those stories of incest Kate has told us about. I really hope I'm not from such a family. Their children always have some kind of health problems.'
Ariana stilled and her nice smile froze on her face. "I don't recognize this name. Your parents must be muggles, then. At least one of them." Her voice sounded hollow and Hadrian could feel anger mounting in her stance. His posture was guarded as he watched her with sudden wariness. Abruptly, she didn't seem so harmless and innocent anymore.
"Muggles?" he asked, tilting his head. He didn't recognize the term.
"People without magic." She said it in such a way as if being a muggle was a deep offense and something unnatural, not a normal occurrence. "They are different from us. They are prejudiced, malevolent, immoral, useless, and their intelligence is inferior to ours. They are like beasts, primitive and undignified. They-"
"I get it. You hate muggles. The only thing I can't understand is why. They are not that different," Hadrian said puzzled, remembering Milly. She was the smartest person he knew and very proud and ambitious, not undignified in any way.
"Well, maybe they are intelligent beings, but they don't understand us." She raised her head defiantly and, somehow, even with a wide smile on her face she didn't come across as friendly. "Never did, as far as history goes."
"You mean the Inquisition?" Hadrian asked, remembering a history book which briefly mentioned them. He frowned, thinking that if all those burned people were really witches and wizards, he could understand why someone could hold a grudge. Especially if they had grown with magic all around them.
Ariana laughed. "Oh, no, this was a Ministry tactic. You know about the Ministry, right? Oh, well, doesn't matter. What matters is that they were useful for once. They provoked muggles to start burning everyone deemed as a witch or a wizard. Too bad that the real ones know fire-repellent spells and were thus able to escape with only a tingle while poor muggles were burnt."
The smile didn't leave her face once despite the gruesome topic and Hadrian was starting to be crept out. Had he resurrected some sort of a loon? Her constant short laughs were unnerving and definitely made him question her already dubious sanity. He wondered if the resurrection had had something to do with it.
"I see." In reality he didn't, but those were just technicalities. And what in the world could this Ministry be? "Does that mean there are certain communities where only wizards live?"
Ariana shrugged in a carefree fashion. "Yes. Plenty of them, in fact. If you are interested, I think you could help me find my brother Aberforth. I'm certain he will lend you a hand." She paused and her eyes widened marginally. "What year is it now? I hope he is still alive."
"1969," Hadrian replied, looking at her in wariness. He didn't want to go looking for some stranger; all he wanted was to return to Milly who was probably fuming at him right now. The worry and desire to see her made him hurry to finish the conversation. "Do you know how to get to Mould-on-the-Wold from here?"
She didn't seem to hear him as she muttered, "Oh, dear, so many years… I would have been a Grandma if not for him." She shook her head and glanced at the boy, "This was my home village. I didn't die here, though. It was in Godric's Hollow. I guess that Aberforth wanted me to be buried with my mother in th place where my roots are."
"So, you must know the way, right?"
"I wasn't outside often. But I think I vaguely remember." Ariana rose from the coffin and stretched, making Hadrian wince at the sound of bones cracking loudly. "I have been in the same position for a lot of years," she said pointedly at his dismayed stare.
"Whatever. Can you tell me what you do know about wizards? I mean, you are a witch yourself. Where were you taught?"
Ariana stared off into distance at his question. "I was… homeschooled. You see, I had a bit of a condition, so my father taught me everything I know. Although, my father wasn't there because of a certain accident, so, admittedly, I don't know much. Only basic spells and such."
Hadrian just nodded. At least she had had her brother, whom she seemed to dearly love. More than a half of the children at the orphanage were much worse off, coming from the families of drunkards and druggies.
"Muggleborns usually learn magic at Hogwarts," Ariana started and, at Hadrian's confused stare, elaborated. "It's a school of magic. There are others throughout the world, but in Britain this is the only one except for specialized schools. At least, this was the case in my time. I don't know how things are now."
Hadrian absently nodded again. "Was it painful to die?" The question surprised both him and the blonde, making her lose her radiant smile for a moment.
She pursed her lips and shifted uncomfortably as she spoke, "No, not really. My death was swift – it took just a moment. I think if you were tortured or dismembered, it would be very unpleasant."
"How did it happen?" Not that Hadrian really wanted to know – he asked just to pass time as they began to walk towards where the village presumably was. Hadrian decided to take Kamaria with him, even if she was the most incompetent snake he had ever seen – not that he had seen many – and touching her was gross.
At the question Ariana stopped momentarily before she began to walk again. "I was murdered." She giggled as if it were the most amusing thing in the world. Hadrian edged away from her. He didn't want to spend time with someone who was chuckling at being dead.
He didn't want to think of what would happen if she suddenly decided that maybe murdering someone else was fun, too.
"You are not asking me who did it."
"There is no need," Hadrian said honestly. "Look, we barely know each other and if you can't tell me anything about the Wizarding World, then you can show me the way to the village and after that we can part ways. You can keep you secrets to yourself." In reality, he planned to experiment with the rope but he wasn't telling her that.
When he turned around to look at the falling behind girl, he was surprised to find an astonished expression on her face. He decided that he certainly preferred it to the creepy grin.
Unfortunately, this blissful state of non-smiling didn't last long and a happy smile bloomed on her thin face again and eyes danced with mirth.
"You are strange," she said lightly, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Look who is talking."
"I have never seen someone like you. Do you want me to tell you my life story?"
"No."
"You really don't? Odd. I have always thought that people like drama. And my life had a lot of that; it must be entertaining to hear. I can tell you in everything exchange for a small favour."
"I told you, didn't I?" Hadrian snapped in annoyabce, feeling frustration stir inside of him. He wanted to get to his friend as soon as possible; he had so many questions to ask Milly. And this girl was practically a waste of time anyway. "Your sob story doesn't interest me at all. If I refused to listen to it for free, why would I agree to do it in exchange for something? You make no sense. No sense at all."
"Aww," she suddenly squealed, latching herself at him and ignoring his horrified gaze. "You looked so adorable here, acting all cynical and displeased, like a feisty kitten." When she calmed down from her outburst, she said quietly, "Accepting will be beneficial to you, too."
"In what way?"
"You see, I want to look for Aberforth. I don't know exactly if he lives or no, but I have a feeling he does. If you help me search for him, I will ask him to help you to adjust to our society and tell you everything he knows about wizards. Perhaps I could even make him adopt a magical orphan like you. You won't need to return to muggles anymore."
"And why do I have to strain my ears to listen to your life story?" Hadrian asked, honestly confused. He didn't want to feel the anticipation and the excited thrumming in his chest at the word 'adoption'. But it was there, and this hope was as bad as the despair he had felt some hours ago while wandering in the dark forest because he knew that there were no good things in the world. At least, they didn't happen to him.
The only joy of his life was his friendship with Milly, and, come to think of it, wouldn't he be forced to leave her because of adoption? Panic tightened its coils around his chest and Hadrian felt a bit of a difficulty to breathe. No, he wouldn't let that happen.
But if that man could tell him about Hogwarts… Hadrian could always use Milly's connections to track him down swiftly and efficiently.
"You won't understand if I don't tell you everything," Ariana said softly. "Not to mention that I was silenced for too long. I just want to get it all out and you are the only person around right now. Who knows, maybe you will fill compassion towards me and help me get my revenge."
'Revenge? This is getting interesting. Well, I guess I could listen to her. Maybe she will tell something useful in the end.'
Hadrian nodded to her and said, "Go ahead. I promise to try my best to find this man if he is in Britain. But I must warn you: if he is anywhere else, go yourself. He isn't the only wizard in the world."
Ariana beamed and Hadrian feared that she would hug him again. Fortunately, she restrained herself just in time and began her story, throughout which Hadrian was surprised to find himself feeling sympathy, sorrow and even anger on her behalf.
XXX
Flashback/
Little Ariana stood in front of a flower-bed of withered plants, watching them with an adorable frown on her young face. She loved her mother's daffodils; they were of such a pretty yellow colour. Because of a dog playing inside the flower-bed, however, the leaves and tender petals were battered and the girl wanted with all her mind to change that.
She looked around. They lived close to muggles but it was evening and no one would see, right? She could use magic and fix everything and gaze at the beauty of nature again. Her mother was shopping for some books with her aloof but smart elder brother Albus, tagging the nice Aberforth along, and her father was at work. No one would see.
She held up her tiny hands in front of her and closed her eyes. Her instincts and a profound wish led her as she willed for the plant to bloom again. The outstretched palms of her hands were enveloped in brightly glowing green light, as pretty as the slowly reviving flowers.
When she was done with it, she clapped her hands and let out a sweet laugh.
It was interrupted by a muted scream and a stone flying her way. She turned around, only for the stone to hit her square in the eye, making tears of pain appear in the corner of it. Falling to the ground, she raised her head to look at the intruders and saw a few boys climbing over the fence in the peaceful garden.
"Freak! You are freaky!" One of them shouted with a venom she had never expected of someone close to her age. It hurt almost as much as the stone. "John, did you see it too?"
"Yeah, yeah. We have to do something. She's a witch! I'll tell Mommy!"
"We have to do something ourselves. We can't leave it like that! What if she vanishes before we bring the adults?"
"Is it possible?" one of the boys asked uncertainly, his eyes flickering to the frozen Ariana every now and then.
"She's a witch, mate!" another boy exclaimed. "She can do anything! I've heard that they can charm people into frogs and enchant men. I have never seen a witch, of course, but-"
"All right, they are dangerous, we understand. So, what do we do?"
"Let's punch her." The boy, John, decided with determination. "If we hurt her enough, she won't be able to move. And we will bring my parents."
"Oh, yeah, your parents work in the police, right? They'll know what to do!"
Ariana was watching the exchange with clouded eyes and couldn't understand why anyone would want to hit her. She doubted they would go through with it, but her Mommy had always told her that muggles were like that and she should never reveal her secrets to them, and those boys were certainly muggles, and nobody was home, nobody would help…
When one of them approached her and a foot connected with her stomach, sharp pain overwhelmed Ariana to the point where only her own ache mattered, and she couldn't think about anything else.
Other hits followed and the mindless agony was everything she felt before a numbness she had never felt before settled in her mind and limbs like a parasite refusing to go away. She didn't hear her high-pitched voice screaming horse and didn't know that the bruises which would appear the next day wouldn't go away for many weeks to come.
It was the first time little Ariana wanted wizards to have Gods she could pray to but, alas, the only possible thing for her was to beg for her mother to come and save her, both mentally and outwardly.
When she was on the verge of blissful unconsciousness, she could hear the characteristic sound of Apparition cracking in the air and her sixth sense unmistakably told her it was her father coming home from work. Ariana's tears of pain changed into tears of relief as she saw her assumptions be true.
She heard her father let out an animalistic growl and immediately wanted to reassure him that everything was all right, she was still alive if a bit battered and he shouldn't be so angry at those children – it wasn't their fault they were born without magic and envied her for it.
But with her throat throbbing Ariana couldn't let the feelings inside of her be known and could only helplessly watch her father, her kind, soft-spoken, gentle father, torture the boys.
Then, Apparition was heard once more and Ariana saw people in bloody red cloaks surround them and restrain her Daddy, who had tears streaming down his wizened cheeks. She wanted to wipe them but her hand only barely moved. And she was certainly in no condition to walk.
Those people bound her father and took him away, and all Ariana could do was to weakly watch her proud father scream and rage.
XXX
"When will Daddy come back to us?" Ariana asked her devastated mother, who had dark circles surrounding her dull eyes and whose usually impeccable hair hung limp and greasy.
Kendra raised her eyes to look at her sweet daughter lying in a white bed with bandages covering every inch of her skin. The sight of her sick and hurting daughter made a new bout of tears stream down her gaunt cheeks. She launched forward to embrace Ariana with trembling hands.
She couldn't utter a word and Ariana, even in her childish mind, understood that something bad had happened and her Mommy was too pained to talk about it.
"He is- He is not coming back, dear," wiping away her tears, Kendra whispered, cradling her beaten up daughter in her thin arms. It was difficult to embrace her while minding the injuries and the bright blue bruises, but the woman was too shaken to deprive herself of this small comfort – of knowing that her daughter had survived the violence those wretched muggles had unleashed upon her.
"Mother." Came a high-pitched voice, and Kendra loosened her embrace. She didn't need to turn around to see the person who entered. She would always distinguish her younger son's voice.
The next moment Aberforth took a seat on the other side of Ariana's bed and smiled at his beloved sister, familial love shining in his eyes. Ariana grinned back, albeit in a tired and sickly fashion.
"Where is Albus?" Kendra asked her son, interrupting the brother-sister moment.
Aberforth's expression darkened and he spat out with fury clouding his brilliant blue eyes, "The git is studying, like always. As if it's the most important thing in the world, more important than family, even."
Kendra rose from her seat. "I'll talk with him. It disturbs me that he hasn't come to visit Ariana even once. It's his sister, for Merlin's sake!"
Aberforth nodded. "He's an asshole like that. I doubt, though, that even if you talk to him, he will do something about it. Such people never change."
"Language. Why are you so hostile to him? Usually you two are always friendly and like to play together." Aberforth and Kendra had already exited the room by this time and their voices were faint. But Ariana still heard Aberforth's reply and it would thunder in her mind for years to come, making her experience a most profound guilt.
"He thinks it's Ariana's fault that father isn't coming back. That he is as good as dead now."
Those words were like drums in the girls ears, resounding loudly and making it impossible to think about anything else.
Her fault.
Her brother believed so and Albus had always been the smartest of the three siblings. The most able wizard whenever their father taught them on those wonderful Sundays, he was a bright students in the muggle village, too. He never made mistakes, and this time he probably hadn't made a mistake, too.
Their family was torn apart, with Kendra in shambles and depression, Aberforth and Albus quarreling for the first time in years and their father forever unreachable. They were all on the point of breaking.
And it was all Ariana's fault.
This was the day when insanity first sank its claws in her.
XXX
"Does this place have more magical people?" asked Albus when the entire family was standing on the lawn in front of their new house. It wasn't that big, certainly much smaller than their previous manor. But without Percival, who had brought all the money to the family and with Kendra home, they had to economize. It wouldn't do to spend everything on a house when they had Hogwarts tuition fees and clothes and food to buy.
"Of course, ALbus." Kendra smiled a strained smile at her oldest son. "It was the mai reason we moved here, after all." Against her will, her blue eyes peeked at her daughter.
Ariana was quiet, thankfully, but the woman knew that it wouldn't last long. Her body had mostly recovered, but mentally…
Numerous bouts of hysterics, flashes of anger and hatred, attempts to kill herself… Kendra didn't know what had happened – everything seemed quite all right in the beginning – but the girl was unstable and her magic felt it, too.
All the witnesses were removed thanks to her imprisoned for it husband, but they had moved all the same. Ariana's sudden bouts of accidental magic were strong and alarming, and the woman could never predict what they would influence next. They were a walking danger to society, and Kendra wanted to start anew, somewhere they could live without being too conspicuous.
It was too much to hope for when it concerned the now infamous Dumbledore family.
"You are the Dumbledores, right?" An old woman whom Kendra vaguely recognized as the historian Bathilda Bagshot came closer with a pie in her hands. "I've heard that you are moving here."
"Obviously," drawled Kendra, pressing her daughter closer to her.
"Is it because of your husband?" Bagshot neared Kendra and clutched the younger woman's arm. "Oh, dear, to have your husband locked away in Azkaban!" She shook her head sorrowfully, either ignoring or not seeing the growing cold fury on Kendra's face. "A wizard from an old Light family attacking muggles. Unthinkable! I fully understand why you wanted to leave your home village."
"It's not father's fault." Albus cut in with a displeased expression, his fingers clenched into tight fists. "It's because of-"
"Anbus!" Kendra cried out but before she could punish her son for his insolence, Aberforth punched him roughly in the face with anger lacing his movements.
"Boys! Stop fighting right now!" Kendra smacked both of them lightly, though she applied a little bit more force on Albus. She tried to ignore Bagshot's curious eyes on her family.
"Mrs. Bagshot. I think you should come back another time," she said slowly, turning to look at the old woman.
"Of course, of course. I see. Well then, I'm sure we will spend a lot of enjoyable hours together as new neighbours." With a last intrigued glance at them, especially at Albus, Bagshot left.
"Nosy old hag," Kendra muttered under her breath before addressing the boys with controlled coldness. "You will go into the house right now and wait for me. Unpack for now before I think of what your punishment could be,"
The boys nodded; Aberforth with a sense of righteousness in his eyes and Albus with a mulish expression, belying what he thought of being punished for such measly reasons. They went into the house under the watchful gaze of Kendra, who made sure that they won't fight again.
"It really is my fault." The soft statement made Kendra look at her daughter. She smiled softly, albeit brokenly, and wiped away Ariana's tears.
"No, it isn't. Albus is just acting foolish. He admired your father greatly and, probably, it is him who has suffered the greatest loss."
"Who do I blame, then, if it's not me?"
Kendra's eyes went cold, all the gentle warmth crept out of them as she spoke. "Blame the muggles. For everything."
Confused at how people without magic who were in all ways inferior to her, according to Albus, could be at fault, Ariana nodded, her blond hair shaking with the motion. She followed her mother inside, taking in her surrounding curiously and relishing in the quite rare moments of peace.
Blame the muggles, huh.
XXX
A couple of years had passed since the Dumbledores moved from the Mould-on-the-Wold to Godric's Hollow.
In a two years Aberforth would go to Hogwarts, leaving Ariana alone with her mother. He didn't study much, preferring to spend his free time with his dear little sister and to help his mother, who was growing tired and more and more isolated with every passing day.
Albus scorned and mocked him; he, himself, was considered a prodigy in Hogwarts and everyone talked how he would become famous and great and will go down to history as a renowned inventor. The boy bwhaved humbly and modestly in public, but inside he was taking pride in the fact that he would achieve something his father hadn't. And he wanted to bring back the glory to their family.
The last of the Dumbledore siblings, Ariana, hadn't changed much either in appearances or in her mental state. Dainty and delicate, she would have been a darling child in the village if she didn't have her abysmal bouts of insanity, which had become more frequent. Now, not a single day passed without her breaking at some point.
Like it was today.
The girl was standing in the centre of the room with a whirlwind of magic surrounding her protectively, like a lioness would her child. Books were ripped apart and pages were floating around the short figure along with a dozen other objects. Kendra wanted to embrace her daughter but when a floating knife grazed her shoulder, she decided against it.
"Ariana!" she screamed but her desperate shout was disregarded by the blonde. The woman fell on her kness and cried, tired of their endless struggle for Ariana's sanity.
"It's so pretty, Mommy! Don't' you see it?" Ariana let out an innocent giggle and her face shone with joy. The bunny Kendra had given her as a present whimpered when another needle from a sewing kit sank into its furry paw.
"Yes, dear, it's very beautiful, but don't you think the rabbit doesn't want to play with you anymore?" Kendra tried, her eyes pleading and face looking even more haggard than usual.
The whirlwind calmed, somehow, and the woman took it as a cue to come closer and clutch her daughter's shoulders. She wanted to shout at her, scold her, so badly that it was almost unbearable, but restrained herself just in time.
The past mistakes had taught her it wasn't safe to criticize the girl.
Instead, she said gently, brushing a lock of blond hair off Ariana's face., "Now, sweetie, look at what you have done. Mommy will have to clean this mess. Don't' you feel even the smallest bit guilty about it?"
The girl's smile melted away and she stared at her mother with hurt evident in her features. "I'm a burden?"
"No! I never-"
"You don't love me," Ariana muttered, looking at the floor unseeingly. "And Albus blames me. Aberforth will leave me, just like Daddy did, and I will be alone."
Panic clutched Kendra's heart; she knew what was coming. "Sweetie, Daddy was different. He didn't leave us willingly-" She reached out to touch her daughter but her hand was slapped away roughly.
"NO!" Ariana cried out and the fear in her eyes made Kendra's throat constrict with never-forgotten pain. Her touch must have reminded Ariana of her tormentors, the boys who had beaten her ruthlessly.
The lamp began to shake and all the doors in the house creaked as they opened and closed repeatedly. Kendra knew that if she didn't do something to improve the situation, eventually Ariana's powers of terror would reach the fence and then everyone would know about their situation, as if that nosy Bagshot wasn't enough.
Despondently, Kendra grabbed her wand and she didn't know what made her mouth utter the fateful word.
"Imperio!" she shouted, the wand in her shaking hand pointed at the wide-eyed daughter.
When the curse hit her, the turmoil around them ceased as abruptly as it had begun, leaving only scattered objects in its wake. Kendra stood there with a flabbergasted expression, her cheast heaving and breathing uneven. She couldn't believe what she had just done. To curse her own child! Percival would have hated her for it.
But Percival wasn't there, and after careful thinking, Kendra realized that this was probably for the best. At least no one would ever find out. No one would ever condemn their family anymore for producing a mentally unstable daughter and Ariana would never be taken away.
It was for the best.
Kendra stooped down to place a gentle kiss on Ariana's small forehead, ignoring the smile that didn't touch the eyes and the emptiness in them.
"Aberforth would cry if you were to be taken away," she breathed in her daughter's hair, closing her eyes and inhaling the citric scent. "He loves you so much, so much. And I, too, would be so crushed."
But no one would discover the secrets of Dumbledore family. Kendra had made sure of it.
XXX
When the news came that Percival had died – rotten away in that horrible place called Azkaban – Ariana wanted to cry and let her grief be known to the world. Except that she couldn't. Imperio kept her from doing anything her mother didn't want and Kendra certainly didn't want Ariana to add to the dreadful atmosphere reigning in the family.
The girl could only watch with hollow eyes notification letter that had arrived earlier that day. They weren't even allowed to go to the funeral – Azkaban policy and all that. The girl had thought she had forgotten about her father, but now the old pain returned, tormenting her during the rare moments of lucidness from Imperio.
Kendra hadn't been that powerful, especially compared to her daughter, so sometimes her tight control slipped and Ariana could think for herself without the sweet voice echoing in her ears. The voice that restricted her will and whispered promises of relief even during the night. Her dreams were filled with its lulling sounds, making her meek and docile, exactly how Kendra wanted.
The twelve year old girl wanted to share this with someone but how? She couldn't speak her mind and, somehow, the voice in her head went away only when Albus was at home. She knew it was useless talking to him anyway – his fascination with that Grindelwald boy, Bagshot's relative, keeping him busy.
Ariana's resentment of her eldest brother had grown rapidly. Being a silent observer, she could see how Albus did his best to return their family to its former glory. She respected his desire and perhaps even admired him for it. Nevertheless, she would have appreciated friendly behavior and his presence in the house much more.
And now he was so absorbed in the other boy that he was barely there, and when he deigned them with his presence, his mind was constantly on other, secret, things.
Sometimes, Ariana wondered what it was that kept him so busy.
"Do you need anything?" Aberforth said from behind her before joining her at the table. He took the note in his hands and shook his head. He didn't seem to feel as much devastation as Ariana felt but that was only understandable; he hadn't been the reason for him imprisonment.
"No, thanks," Ariana replied dully, staring far off into the space.
"Um… Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I know how our father was cherished by you."
Ariana wanted to talk, to remember all the happy times they had had, when her eyes weren't glazed by either the fog of Imperio or insanity, when Albus was still someone reliable she could call a brother and when she didn't hate Kendra for what she had done.
Indeed, the only constant presence in Ariana's life was Aberforth. Her dearly loved brother hadn't changed much, only become more independent because of the work he had to do part-time and taking care of herself and Kendra, whose health was failing slowly but surely. Whle people praised and hailed Albus for his outstanding talent and magical power, she knew that the stronger one was Aberforth.
She wanted to tell him that, too, tell him of her admiration, but what came out was a cold "I don't think talking is needed. I'd like to be alone."
Aberfirth faltered and hurt was evident in his face. "If you say so. I just-"
"You should go. The train to Hogwarts leaves in a couple of hours. Make sure that you have taken everything you need."
With a crushed expression, Aberforth nodded and tried to grin unconcernedly, but it didn't came out well. He placed a kiss on his sister's forehead and brushed a thumb across her cheek.
"Take care, Ariana. I'll try to come back as soon as possible."
She wanted to shout him to stay with her for a bit, but the curse prevented her from it.
Ariana understood all the reasons Kendra had to make her stay like this.
She knew she didn't exist in the eyes of their neighbours, except for Mrs. Bagshot, but that woman was easily silenced by the rare History books their library contained. Kendra realized that if sanity returned to Ariana completely, the girl would have to be introduced to the Wizarding World and it would be a tad difficult to explain where she had been the years before.
Moreover, the woman was too used to her docile daughter couldn't imagine any other life.
That's why it was much easier to keep the curse and make Ariana seem anti-social and mentally unstable to everyonr, even though her insanity had dwindled into non-existence during the past years.
Her hatred for her mother was slowly becoming too excruciating to bear.
XXX
She could hear them arguing.
Kendra had died during an accident, much to Ariana's relief and now the girl was technically free. It was such a pity that her brothers couldn't decide whom to ship her off.
Their voices rang loudly throughout the house and they probably didn't think her stable enough to understand what they were quarreling about. And the subject of their heated argument was her placement. Strangely enough, Albus's boyfriend, Gellert Grindelwald, was also present, although as an observer mostly, entertaining himself with the discussion.
"I cannot spend all my time here, Aberforth!"
"And why the hell not? She is our sister! You could make yourself useful at least one fucking time!"
"I'm sure she can stay by herself for a little while, she is not a small child, for Merlin's sake! You have put her on a pedestal when nothing else but her matters."
"You know of her condition, Albus. What the fuck is so important that you can't look after her for a few days?"
"Gellert and I are going to Paris on the Annual National Wizarding Conference. Can you imagine it? Nicolas Flamel, Newt Scamander, countless other famous researchers and Masters and inventors! This is a place our family can regain its former standing. Just imagine the connections I can make there! I'm positive that nothing grave will happen if she is left here."
"Nothing grave? How dare-"
Crashes resounded in the room and with dawning apprehension Ariana stared at the door. A few others were heard and she understood that, indeed, they were dueling between themselves because of her.
"Stop it!" Ariana cried out, pushing the doors open. It hurt to hear Albus speaking about her with such disregard, as if she were merely an annoying burden, not his sister. "Enough of it. I can stay here. It's nothing, Albus, you can go…"
Her soft voice was unheard in the commotion and in the flickering light of spells she doubted her presence had been noticed at all. Just as Aberforth was casting a particularly vicious hex at Albus, Arianafelt someone watching her.
Blue eyes locked with hazel ones and Ariana felt a shudder running down her spine. She had a gut feeling that this boy wouldn't be good news for her. He raised his hand, his fingers clutching the wand, and smiled disarmingly before doing some strange circular movements with it.
His victorious smirk and Aberforth's miserable scream of loss was the last thing she had heard before feeling relieving numbness carry her away.
/End Flashback.
XXX
Hadrian stared in silence as the words seemed to leave the girl in front of him.
Strangely enough, he felt pity despite her being only a stranger. He could sympathize with her pain – both of them had been hated by non-magical people because of their powers and had to endure this hatred. But Hadrian had never experienced years of being silenced with a curse binding him and forbidding him from speaking what he wanted to.
It was the first time when he realized that, maybe, this Wizarding World wasn't like in fairy tales and some fantasy books, where everything had a happy end and justice prevailed. It seemed like a cruel, ruthless place filled with grief, constrictions and insanity.
And people in it were like everywhere else.
"I want revenge," Ariana said suddenly, her voice breaking the dead silence of the late evening.
"On this boy, Gellert, you said?"
"Yes. I don't know if he is dead already, but I really hope not. I want to see the bastard scream."
"Because he killed you," It was more of a statement rather than a question because, well, he would have loathed to be killed, and Hadrian was very surprised when the girl shook her head.
"It's not just the fact that he stripped me of my life after I was finally free. I know that Albus would have been kinder and generally better if not for him."
A companionate silence that fell on them was broken by Ariana a few minutes later.
"Why do you want to go to the village this late?" Ariana inquired. "If you had wanted to sleep, I could have shared my coffin with you."
The revulsion on Hadrian's face must have been evident because the girl burst out laughing. "Don't worry, it's soaked with anti-insects spell and many others. I think it's even cleaner than some people's beds."
"I see. Still, it wouldn't be comfortable for me. Or particularly pleasant, for that matter." Hadrian looked up when the trees became fewer and eventually he could see the outlines of the village.
"We have arrived," Ariana commented needlessly and Hadrian felt joy blooming inside him.
He was going to see Milly. He only hoped that she wouldn't be too angry at him. He doubted that he could revive himself.
XXX
I have always wondered about Ariana and I think her life was fascinating in a peculiar kind of way. I really couldn't hold back from writing her childhood. She will be one of the main characters in the story as well as Aberforth and, of course, Albus. I really hope you'll like her :)
Oh, by the way, I won't do much Albus-bashing. While he might seem like a big jerk in Ariana's memories, I think that's how he was before her death: a bit like Percy, only with more talent and ambition.
Well, till next time :)