Chapter Seven:
Ariana and Harry sat there staring at each other for a few minutes since Hermione's realization, the more he looked at her the more Harry could see the resemblance from the pictures he had looked over in the book Hagrid had given him what felt like forever ago. She had Lily's face and chin and even her nose, and the one eye looked just like the ones he saw when he looked into the mirror, the other shone like his, their, Dad's. "Why wasn't I told about a sister?" Harry looked over at Hermione like she should have told him.
"Don't you look at me like that," Hermione scolded him, "I thought she was dead just like everyone else." Turning back towards Ariana she leaned forward as though examining her. "It is curious that she randomly turns up, why now?" She asked to no one particular.
"Dumbledore came and found me..." Ariana said. "I honestly had no clue that anything I was doing," She looked down as though ashamed, "was magic. I didn't even know I had been adopted." Ariana put finger quotes in the air as she said the word.
"How did you not know?" Hermione asked, her voice was soft.
"They raised me, I was never in a orphanage or anything, as far as I knew I was born to Mr. and Mrs. Stearn. When Dumbledore came, they weren't happy, like their dirty laundry had been exposed. The night Sirius came-" The trio hushed her.
"Don't say his name so loud!" Harry said in a harsh whisper. "If you have to say his name call him snuffles."
Ariana raised an eyebrow at the name but said nothing. "Okay, the night, Snuffles, came for me they kicked me out. Didn't want some freak in the family..." Ariana looked out the window. "Sorry, you probably don't know what it feels like."
"Yeah actually I do." Harry said getting up and sitting next to his sister. "The Dursley's, my- er our Aunt and Uncle and Cousin, I grew up with them. They are probably the worst people in the world. I wasn't allowed to ask about our parents and I slept in a cupboard under some stairs for 10 years."
Ariana wiped away a tear that was trying to form, "Wow, that does suck." They looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. When they finally calmed down Ariana sank back into her seat. "So what's this school like?" Ariana asked as the compartment door opened and three boys stood there, only one she recognized. Draco Malfoy stood in the middle with two burly boys on each side of him.
"Only the best school you could possibly go to, besides the crack pot of a headmaster," Draco answered her question, the boys on each side sniggered.
Oblivious to looks of disgust her brother and his friends were giving the intruders Ariana gave Draco a small smile. "Oh, hey Draco."
"Ariana." He said, trying to sound cold, but his voice didn't hold the normal coldness he gave the others. "Getting chummy with the Gryffindorks?"
"Actually I was just catching up with Harry, turns out we have a lot in common." Ariana said nudging Harry's shoulder with hers.
"That is unfortunate. Well, if you want a real man to show you how things really work at Hogwarts come find me." He gave her a smirk that made Harry's blood boil.
"Stay away from her Malfoy." Harry said standing up, almost itching for a fight.
"Whats the matter Potter? Afraid I'll take your new girlfriend from you?" Draco said as his croonies stood behind him crunching their knuckles.
"Wow, ew." Ariana said, not being able to hold back a laugh. "I'm not remotely interested in Harry like that. Ariana said standing up and moving in bewteen the two boys giving each other the most hateful looks. "Draco, Harry is my brother. Not my boyfriend." Ariana said placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "So cool the hate train boys." She said looking to Harry eye's then Draco's.
"Bro-brother?" Draco said looking from Ariana to Harry then back to Ariana. "Well, great that is all we need, another Potty to add to the sad sack train." Draco said shrugging Ariana's hand away from his shoulder. "Lets go boys, we don't want to catch anything in here or our parents will be the next ones to be killed." Draco said looking at everyone else but Ariana, his eyes seemed to not be able to look at her reaction and he left with the other two without looking at her.
Ariana stood staring at the door where Draco had just stood. "Wow, really? Really!?" Ariana shouted at the door. "What a-a- complete asshole!" Ariana kicked the door. "Two faced jerk." Ariana sat back down in her seat. "How can he say something like that?!"
"That's Malfoy for you." Ron said Harry agreed, Hermione however said nothing Ariana noticed.
"Whats up Hermione?" Ariana asked.
Almost as if she forgot where she was Hermione gave a small jump as she had been lost in thought. "What? Oh nothing, I just..."
"You just what?" Ron asked. But Hermione was spared having to answer as the witch with the trolley came around with food. Between Harry and Ariana, the four of them had plenty to eat and then some.
As the sky's outside grew darker Hermione stood up stretching, "We should change." The boys agreed and left Ariana and Hermione so they could change first. As soon as the door closed Hermione turned to Ariana. "Malfoy didn't look at you when he insulted you guys earlier." She turned around just as quickly and started pulling out her robes, Ariana did the same but continued to talk.
"So? Why does that change anything? He's still an ass..." Ariana said slipping off her top and pulling her shirt on over the dark green cami she had underneath.
"He loves watching people's reactions."
"So?" Ariana said as she slipped her skirt on.
"So? So why didn't he want to see yours?"
"I dunno. Because he's mental?"
"I think he felt guilty." Hermione said.
"Guilty? Hermione, I don't think someone like that could feel guilty... Guilty people don't say horrible things like that." Ariana said pulling on her black knee high converses lacing them up, she looked away from Hermione, but she couldn't help but feel her heart give a small flutter. Why would Draco feel guilty?
"Suit yourself." Hermione said with a small huff. "You're as bad as your brother. But I bet if you went into the Slytherin compartment alone he'd be sweet as pie to you." Hermione stopped looking at Ariana. "That skirt is a bit short don't you think?"
Ariana looked down her face almost lit up in horror. "There must have been some mistake! This wasn't the skirt I tried on! Oh no... she must have gotten mine mixed up with someone else's!" Ariana looked up at Hermione with desperation. "Can't you fix them?"
Before Hermione could answer Ron stuck his head in. "Aren't you two read- whoa." Ron stared at Ariana. "Lots of skin there Ari." Harry stuck his head in at that.
"What are you wearing?"
"My skirts got mixed up, they are all like this!" Ariana said holding up each and every one of them. She slumped down onto the seat. "Crap!" She kept pulling at the end of the skirt hoping it would magically get longer. "This is why I tried to talk her into letting me wear pants! I hate skirts! And it's almost three sizes too big for me. I'm surprised it's even staying up!" At that a shriek filled the train.
"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?" Hermione looked at Harry and Ron.
"That sounded like Pansy." She stuck her head outside, Ariana following suit, a pug faced girl was storming down the train, a black Hogwarts skirt in her hands.
"WHO THE HELL THINKS IT'S OK TO SWITCH MY SHIT?! WHICH ONE OF YOU SHRUNK MY SKIRTS?!" Pansy stormed down the train, Draco following her.
"Pansy, put some pants on!" He said throwing the bottoms she had been wearing before she had obviously tried to change at her.
Ariana stepped out into the hallway as Pansy had just walk past the outside of their compartment. "Um, what size is that skirt?" Ariana said, holding a fistful of the skirt she was trying to keep up in one hand.
Pansy turned around and looked down at Ariana. "Did you switch my skirts?! How dare you touch my stuff?" Pansy shoved Ariana, who fell backwards into someone who caught her.
"I didn't switch anything! There must have been a mix up at Madam Malkin's!" Ariana said standing up. "If you want your damn skank skirts you can damn well have them back!" Ariana said snatching the one Pansy was wearing from her hand and slamming the door to a compartment shut almost shattering the glass and quickly changing into the right sized skirt throwing Pansy's skirt back at her as she came out. Pushing past Harry, Ron, and Hermione Ariana grabbed the small pile of the other skirts that were Pansy's and threw them at her too. "There!"
Pansy looked down at the clothes on the floor and then at Ariana. "Skank? SKANK?! Why I ought to curse you for that!" She reached for her wand but before she could utter a single word Draco stood in between the two girls. If it had been quiet before that was nothing to the silence that filled the train now. Pansy stared at Draco for a moment, he had his arms spread wide his back facing Ariana looking right at Pansy.
"Put it away Pansy." He said, his voice held none of the coolness it normally did.
"Draco, come on, just stop..." Ariana said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Drakey?" Pansy looked heartbroken for a split second before becoming furious again. "You think you're hot shit do you girl?!" Pansy tried to reach around Draco and almost tried stabbing Ariana with her wand. Before Pansy could reach a voice sounded over the speakers.
"ATTENTION STUDENTS! WE HAVE ARRIVED AT HOGWARTS PLEASE LEAVE YOUR THINGS AS THEY WILL BE TAKEN UP TO THE SCHOOL FOR YOU! THANK YOU!" The speaker went silent as the students who had been standing around watching had slipped back inside finishing getting ready.
"Put the wand down Pansy..." Draco said getting Pansy to lower her arm. "Lets go, you don't want to get in trouble before school even starts." Draco started pushing Pansy down the hall back towards their compartment, Pansy had started fawning over how wonderful Draco had been and thanking him for being so brave and not wanting her to get in trouble. Ariana watched them both disappear before turning around watching as all but Hermione looked surprised at what happened, Hermione was sporting a small grin with a look that clearly said, "I told you so."
"Don't say it." Ariana muttered to Hermione as she shuffled past her into the compartment, her mind now feeling worried about what was going to happen once they got to school.