Chapter 2

How to take Flight

Ariana had tried to fly once before with the instructor Dumbledore had appointed to her in the summer. But she couldn't even get the stupid broomstick to go 'up'. She could fly on her own, but honestly she would rather not fly at all. She was afraid of falling from great heights. Something she always feared even in her past life. Even with magic, she still held on to that fear.

The professor instructed them to all stand by a broom.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the

front, "and say 'Up!'"

"UP" everyone shouted, even Ariana but her attempts were fruitless as the broom remained stationary.

She watched as Harry and Draco's brooms jumped into his hand at once with a few others. She expected that. And she expected the arrogant smirk on Draco's lips. It kinda irked her that she couldn't use any magical tools. Dumbledore had explained it to her but right now she didn't care about specifics. She wanted to be at least normal to the standards of Hogwarts. Or perhaps born without magic in this world. At least then, she wouldn't have to push back her need to want to help others at every turn. Staying quiet wasn't like her.

I can't have too much attention on me, she reminded herself again. It was for the good of Harry's destiny. Not to be a butterfly.

Ariana watched and listened as Madam Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end. She walked up and down the rows correcting their grips.

Madam Hooch corrected Draco's, that somehow was standing right beside Ariana, and then proceeded to the brunette. Ariana smiled, hesitantly at the woman.

Madam Hooch frowned, "Why aren't you even trying to hold your broom, Miss…?"

"Ariana. Ariana Zavier," she finished for her.

Recognition shone in her eyes, "Ah, Miss Zavier. Dumbledore did warn me about your… inability. Don't fret. You are dismissed."

Ariana stood, dumbfounded at the woman as she moved to the next person. She couldn't believe the words that were spoken to her. The word 'inability' echoed in her mind. It was like a slap in the face to her. She wanted nothing more than to prove that woman wrong, but she couldn't magic items just didn't work for her. Or got destroyed.

She eyed the broom beside her. She could either try to fly with this broom and potentially set it on fire like the rest of the brooms before or she could just leave while her house mocked her. Neither of those options really suited her.

"Just a mudblood it seems," she heard Draco beside her with an arrogant grin. He gloated to her failure. "Good for nothing. What kind of witch can't even fly a broom."

This time, Ariana did not have a comeback for him, she just frowned.

"Oh look, she's about to cry," Pansy added a few bodies away from them with a wicked smile on her face.

Ariana hated to admit it, but it was true. She could feel the sting in her eyes as she felt like crying. The years of this new life she had had caused her some grief. She had some emotional scars for being called a good for nothing orphan. An undesirable child. Not good at anything. She missed her old life. She missed it more now than she had ever done before. The tears were for the pain of not being able to go to her parents for reassurance that she wasn't a failure. Or her other brothers would tell these bigots to sod off. She had no one on her side.

She took one deep breath, staying steady on her feet. She may fear heights but she wasn't about to let them believe they could bully her for this. No. She had to stand up for herself. It wasn't necessary because she cared about what they thought of her. She just didn't want to give them the satisfaction that they had won.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said

Madam Hooch after making rounds to be sure that everyone had the right grip on their brooms. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two—"

Ariana had been ready to levitate above the ground but Neville had already pushed off hard on the ground before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Come back, boy!" Madam Hooch shouted, but Neville kept rising straight up into the sky. Ariana remembered this part. Neville would gain a broken arm. This would allow other things to unfold like Harry getting on the quidditch team. As much as she wanted to save him and prevent him from getting hurt. She stayed out of it.

Sorry, Neville, she apologized in her mind.

WHAM — a thud and a nasty crack that had Ariana wincing. Neville laid face down on the grass in a heap. Ariana watched as the broomstick went out of sight in the forbidden forest.

Madam Hooch turned to the rest of the class after examining Neville's injury and spoke, "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

Ariana watched as Madam Hooch guided Neville towards the hospital wing.

Not surprising to Ariana, Draco began to laugh, "Did you see his face, the great lump?" Of course, the other Slytherins joined in with the exception of Ariana.

"Really? You think someone getting hurt is funny, do you?" she let out without thinking.

The Gryffindor students looked at her in disbelief as if they were surprised that a Slytherin would talk back on a Slytherin.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" of course, Pansy had something to add, "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Zavier."

Ariana rolled her eyes, "Really? That's the best you could come up with as an insult? You all laugh at someone else's misfortune rather than lending a hand like a real leader would do. And then insult a person that is trying to be a decent person. I just don't understand why seeing someone else in pain is even remotely funny, amusing, or anything of the sort. But sure, Pansy. I greatly prefer fat little crybabies over condescending bigot like you."

Silence followed.

Ariana suddenly became aware of what she had said and done. You are supposed to stay under the radar, idiot.

She looked away from her fellow Slytherin while they had nothing else to say to her. They would just have to increase her torment a little more from then on.

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

Ariana sighed, knowing what was to come. Not wanting to be part of it and messing up again by becoming involved when she shouldn't, she left them all behind to go back inside. She had been dismissed from taking that class anyway. She wouldn't get into any trouble.

You couldn't just keep your mouth, could you? she scolded herself. But she wasn't the kind of person that could keep quiet when someone else was suffering. Especially now that she knew what suffering was like.

Staying at Slytherin tower became hell for Ariana. Those little 'gifts' got more frequent. Her peers constantly cursed her by tripping her, sabotaging her school work, and whatever other nasty things they would come up with. Joke was on them, she wasn't particularly doing well in any of her courses. Mainly the reason was that her magic was different from the others. So, her summer instructor failed to teach her what she should have known for school. Not that the information would do her any good anyway but Dumbledore had insisted that she should learn in Hogwarts.

She just felt as if she were a fish given the test to climb up a tree. It was impossible. Meanwhile, the resident king of bullies was the top student which led him to feel superior to her even more and treat her as if she were an idiot. He had even been more cruel to her since Harry hadn't been expelled like he had wished, almost as if using her as a punchbag in a manner of speaking.

She was in the study hall with the other Slytherins as they starred and whispered about her. She was desperately trying to complete her school work to try not to fail her first year. She knew that if she molded herself to fit their mindset and beliefs, they may leave her alone and potentially even help her with school but she just couldn't and wouldn't ever go down that path. She just couldn't understand them.

"Ariana," her head snapped up, turning around to a figure behind her. A man in his late twenties smiled at her, his green eyes warm as he looked at her. His black hair was a mess on his head but he looked the same from the summer. Of course, he would.

"Ripley," she smiled at him before shuffling her body to stand up and give him a hug. "It's been a while. What are you doing at Hogwarts?"

He shrugged, "Dumbledore asked to see me. So, of course I had to come visit my favourite pupil." He patted her head affectionately, like an older brother would do to their younger sibling.

She rolled her eyes, "Last I checked I was your only pupil."

He laughed, "Yes, well, there aren't many like us after all. I'd make a terrible teacher for any other. I do not know a single word to a spell."

She sighed, "Ah, so maybe asking you to help me with this school work is a no."

"Oh, goodness, no. Not if you want to fail," he responded. His eyes shifted to the curious eyes of the Slytherin table. "A Slytherin, huh? I took you more for a Hufflepuff with that large heart of yours. Maybe a Gryffindor because you have always been courageous even when I went hard on you. Or even a Ravenclaw because you and your smart mouth," he teased as he looked down at her, "But never a Slytherin."

She shrugged, "What can I say. I'm full of surprises."

"Isn't that Ripley Holmes?" she heard one of the girls at her table ask another.

Ripley Holmes, someone who was never ever mentioned in the Harry Potter books or movies. Apparently, he has been famous in the Wizarding World because he is a wizard that does not need a wand and words to cast his spells. He excelled in wandless magic for over ten years and so he was the one Dumbledore assigned to teach me, even though I was still a unique case. Ripley had taken on the challenge to teach me, nonetheless. He was of Pure-Blood which was what had caused Ariana to be confused as to why she had never heard of him before. Why hadn't he been in the original story? Or had she forgotten him? One would think that such a famous wizard, and a powerful one at that, would be mentioned somewhere.

"Charmed," he said to the girls with a dazzling smile. Ariana could see the girls swooning at him. She understood why, he was a handsome man after all. Tall, dark, and handsome. "I hope you've all been treating Ariana with great care? She is of great importance to me."

"But she's a mudblood," Pansy blurted out, seeming to be jealous.

He laughed at her insult, knowing that it hadn't bothered Ariana in the first place, "Oh, dear. Mudblood or not, Ariana has earned my respect and my admiration. She is special to say the least."

If the Slytherin girls hated her before, they hated her more now. She could see the jealousy in their eyes as Ripley fondly spoke of her.

"Oh!" he said as if suddenly remembering something, "I have something for you." He handed her a necklace with a beautiful purple gem as a pendant, "I made it with my magic. So, whenever you feel the need to speak to me, just hold on to the gem and speak in your mind with intent." She opened her mouth, "And don't worry. It uses my magic. Not yours." She shut her mouth and nodded smiling at the necklace in her hands. "An added bonus is that I will know when you are in danger. I will come. Always."

Ariana didn't know what to say. His words moved her. He always seemed to remind her of her eldest brother in her previous life. He was kind, warm, and so very protective of her, just as Ripley had become.

"Thank you," she said to him, embracing him. She didn't feel quite alone anymore.