Chapter 6

The lights were blurry as the room spun around her. Perhaps it was her that was spinning. His hands were tight on her waist as she wrapped each arm around his neck, afraid they might slip away if she were to let go.

they were in her ship, in her room. Both Harry and Fleur sat off to the side while she and Cedric danced to the soft music that was playing. Her mind was empty, it was a freeing feeling. It was a rare occasion where the feeling of the room spinning and feeling lightheaded was welcomed. They both had two left feet and seemed to be stumbling over each other.

"I love you; you know?" he said softly, pulling her tighter.

"I know," she responded, unable to return the phrase the way he meant it.

"Weasley's a lucky guy," he said, pulling her even closer.

His lips were nearly on hers. She could feel his breath tickle her skin. She closed her eyes briefly only to open them when the touch of his lips never came. She frowned at the look of terror that had overcome his face. It was brief before he was thrown backwards into the darkness.

"Cedric!" Ara shouted while running forward, hesitating only slightly at still darkness. She plowed through and came to a clearing. Cedric was kneeling at Voldemort's feet while Harry stood tied to a tombstone.

"well done Ara," Voldemort said, his eyes never leaving Cedric.

"Ara!" Cedric shouted before a green beam of light hit him in the chest and he slumped to the floor, his fearful eyes wide and unseeing.

She gasped as she sat up in bed, looking around frantically, trying to come to grips with the situation. She let out a heavy sigh when she saw Draco sleeping soundly in the bed on the other side of the room. She remembered where she was and what had happened, it was a dream. Well as much of a dream as it could be, Cedric was still dead.

She climbed out of bed and left the room, pulling her hair into a bun as she walked. She made her way to the kitchen, pouring herself some hot tea as she sat heavily at the table. She wasn't there alone for long before Harry joined her, looking equally shaken.

"Nightmare?" she asked, pouring him a cup of tea as well.

Harry nodded rubbing his hands on his face. "Cedric," he said simply.

Ara nodded "me too."

He looked at her surprised, before his eyes softened "You liked him right?"

Ara shrugged "he was a great guy, but I couldn't like him like that… I was too in love with Charlie."

The silence was comfortable, they sat sipping their tea and listening to the ticking of the clock. It wasn't until the bird chimed that Harry said anything.

"I shouldn't have asked him to take the cup with me…"

Ara looked at him intently, she could see the guilt swimming in his eyes. It was guilt she had felt as well. She didn't blame Harry in the slightest, thought if anything it were more her fault than his.

"I should have broken through the glass… Gotten to the cup before either of you."

Harry looked up quickly before snorting "seems ridiculous for you to blame yourself…"

"Same with you," she said with a small smile.

He tapped his finger on his mug, opening and closing his mouth as though deciding whether or not to say what he wanted.

"Yes?" she prompted.

"What was it you did to that Death Eater? I know you didn't tell anyone what really happened." It wasn't accusatory, but curious.

Ara hesitated, she was surprised no one had asked her earlier. "I sent him away…"

Harry hesitated "is it something you can show me?"

Ara sighed and shook her head "it wasn't light magic Harry."

"I figured as much," he said, catching Ara off guard. "Dad told me once that it wasn't the magic itself that's dark, it's the way it's used."

She'd never heard James say something like that before, then again she hadn't spent much time with the man. "I'll think about it… just don't tell anyone yet," she said softly.

Harry nodded in agreement and the two continued to sit in a comfortably silence, lost in their own thoughts until the sun started to rise.

When Harry yawned Ara said "you should get some rest… We're celebrating your birthday tonight," with a small smile, she ushered him upstairs before heading to her own room hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.

The house was even more crowded than it was before. It seemed the entire order and a handful of additional Hogwarts students had come to celebrate Harry's birthday. Although Potter Manor was large, the sheer number of people in addition to the beautiful weather meant that they were celebrating outside.

Ara smiled and hugged some of the others warmly, wishing Harry a Happy Birthday, but for the most part she sat in the background, avoiding conversation. It was this that brought her out to the hammock on a secluded side of the yard, away from all the party goers. They were in a jovial mood compared to only a couple days previously, but Ara couldn't bring herself to be a part of it. Her mind was stuck on repeat thinking of her lineage and her nightmares. Thinking of Cedric's lifeless body.

The hammock dipped before swinging forward. She clenched her stomach to keep from rolling backwards as she slid sideways towards Bill.

"Arse," she whispered, not bothering to lean away from him.

"Aww you're so sweet," he said, pulling her into a hug, before propping up his feet and maneuvering them so they were lying on the hammock side by side.

"And what would Charlie say with this position?"

Bill laughed "he'd shove his way in-between us before telling you to get me a date with that pretty blonde that works with me."

She rolled her eyes "why can't you get your own date? A dashing young man like you…"

He flashed her a charming, shit eating grin. "Fleur is from France… So, she's missing the hints I'm sending her."

Ara snorted, she highly doubted that was the case. Fleur wasn't as oblivious as people liked to believe and she'd had her fair share of people of all races and countries hit on her. She was also the kind to make a man try for her though… she had to, she could pretty much have anyone.

"We'll see Bill… I don't particularly like being dishonest with my friends and I'd have to be very dishonest to get her to date you – Ouch"

He shoved her hard in the side. "I hate you."

"but I'm so pleasant…" she trailed off, her eyes closed, resting her head on the pillow behind her with the warmth of Bill beside her. She briefly wondered if it was inappropriate for her to be sharing the hammock with him, but she knew there was nothing romantic on either of their ends. She decided at this moment she didn't particularly care, the warmth was nice. She used to lay with Connor when she struggled with sleep.

She was nearing sleep when Bill's voice drifted through her head, bringing back to consciousness.

"Charlie fire called me... He's worried about you."

She knew, he had fire called her as well that morning. It was the first she'd heard from him since the attack on the burrow, even though a couple days had passed. He had been away from civilization.

"There's nothing to worry about," she said plainly.

"hm…. Well I told him that as well, but you know if you don't start sleeping, I'll tell him the truth."

She snorted at the threat "what will you say? Charlie please come home; your girlfriend is having bad dreams that don't affect anyone but herself."

Bill shook his head "you can't live without sleep."

"eventually, close to my death probably, I'll be tired enough that I'll actually sleep."

"My mum can make you dreamless sleep potion."

"I don't want anyone involved in this," she insisted, curling into a ball, rubbing her head into his side. "I don't even know how you know about it."

Bill shrugged "Draco's worried."

"Well stop…. Stop worrying, nightmares never killed anyone."

As the day stretched on, others left for their homes before dark, leaving behind the current residents of Potter Manor. Ara made her way towards Harry, handing him a nicely wrapped present.

He looked curiously at her when he pulled out the bracelet.

"It's a protective bracelet," she said softly. "It'll protect you for minor jinxes and hexes."

Harry gave her a hug, thanking her.

"You're the biggest trouble magnet I've ever met, I figured you could use an extra hand."

Harry snorted before turning and showing his parents and Sirius.

Are smiled at their 'thanks' before slowly making her way back to her room, letting her bed claim her once more, hoping that the nightmares stayed away, even if only for a night.

The shattering of ceramic on tile caused her to jerk her head up quickly.

"I'm so sorry," she said, putting her feet on the ground and waving her wand to clean up the remnants and put the pieces of the cup back together.

Molly, Lilly, Ginny and Hermione were sitting around the table with her, all looking at her with concern.

"How much have you slept in the last week?" Lily asked softly, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand.

Ara shrugged "I'll be fine,"

"I can get you dreamless sleep potion," she said, but Ara shook her head quickly. She'd taken it after Cedric's death, but she hated the stuff.

There was a small wrapping at the window and Lily opened it for the owl to fly in. It wasn't one that had been at potter Manor since she'd arrived. It was pure black with yellow eyes and something about the owl gave her a chill. It landed in front of her, she relieved it of it's parcel and offered it water that it refused. The owl simply turned and flew back out the window it came from.

Inside the small package was a single white rose, a picture, and a letter. She skipped over the two items and opened the letter with a frown. She stilled at the thin slanted lettering that skipped over the page. It was shaky at best. Parts of the letters were missing and there were large ink stains throughout the letter. Her breath caught in her throat as she read the first line.

To my darling daughter,

I realize you haven't had the easiest childhood, and I'm sorry for not being able to provide you with a better one. I never wanted to leave you with Lucius, I had never intended on being incarcerated. I had hoped, like the others, that we would bring awareness to what is right and to our cause.

I want you to remember those times when you were a child before your mother and I went away. Remember the times when we held you and took you to the park. Remember the times when we were a family. It was them that took it from us. It was them that believed that just because our beliefs differed from them we needed to be punished.

I'm sure you've read about our crimes, about what we did, but please know that we never hurt anyone who was innocent. They believed we were dirt of the earth because of the magic that we used. All we wanted to show people was that there was another way to life, another way to make our society better.

Darling, you were named after a constellation, one that is only seen in the southern hemisphere. Here's the thing Ara, a certain darkness is needed to see the stars. You were born in the shadows, you were raised in them, they are apart of you. I know what happened to Avery, don't you see? This is who you were born to be. They serve you and you alone. No one is as skilled in that form of magic and if you continue to fight for the light, the shadows will feel betrayed. The light doesn't understand the shadows, they never will, this is why you belong with us. Our goal isn't to wipe out muggles, it is to live our best lives. Our goal is to give people who are a little different a place in this wold. Werewolves, giants, dementors, all these creatures that you hold dear have a place in our world. They don't have a place in the world you are fighting for.

We will be rejoined soon enough, please remember my darling girl that we are your family. We will love you when everyone turns away, when no one understands. I know you discovered our family tree, you may not be my daughter by blood, but you have always been my little girl.

With all my love,

Daddy

Her skin crawled and her eyes welled with tears. She wasn't sure if they were angry tears or sad tears. She grabbed the picture and saw the laughing face of her father holding her tightly as they sat outside under a tree on a blanket.

It wasn't the childhood she remembered. There weren't good times, but she questioned if that was because of her mother or Lucius. Rodolphus had been kind at times.

When she thought of life with her parents she could still feel the blade pierce her skin. She could still feel the fear of failure as she did her best to make them proud. The only love she ever felt came from Severus and her aunt. She didn't remember a happy time in the park. She didn't remember birds chirping or the smell of freshly cut grass. She remembered the smell of blood and the feel of broken bones.

She whipped roughly at her eyes barely noticing the voices that were calling out to her until a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up to see Molly looking concerned. Lily was standing a short ways behind her.

"Is the Floo connected to Hogwarts?" She asked stiffly.

Lily hesitated before nodding. "I'll come with you."

Ara wanted to refuse, but the look in the woman's eyes suggested that she'd be coming whether or not Ara agreed.

She stuffed the letter into her pocket, holding tightly to the photo before following Lily through the flames. They landed in a classroom Ara didn't recognize, but the surprised face of Professor McGonagall, suggested that this was her classroom.

"Is Albus here?" Lily asked.

"Snape," Ara corrected "I need to see Snape."

Lily looked at her surprised

"He's in the dungeons," Mgonagall answered briskly.

Ara thanked her before heading quickly to the door and through the halls, ignoring Lily who was trying to ask her quesitons.

She didn't knock when she reached his office door, but simply strode in.

Snape wore a look of frustration that quickly turned to confusion and concern at the sight of her.

"Ara, Wha-"

She didn't listen to him, but strode to his desk and slammed the picture down in front of him. "Were we happy? Because I don't ever remember being happy with them…"

Severus looked at the picture and his eyes became sad. "Where'd you get this?"

"It was sent to me," she said simply.

"your father wrote to you?" He asked sharply. "What did the letter say?"

"You knew them back then Sev, was there a time when we were happy?"

"I don't know…" he answered apologetically "I was closer to Lucius than the other two… the couple times I met you you were polite and well behaved. You didn't seem to shy away from either of them and they weren't mean to you in public… but-" He hesitated briefly "Narcisssa had threatened Lucius once…"

"what do you mean?" She asked, having difficulty imagining Aunt Cissa ever threatening her uncle.

"She said that if he were ever to treat Draco the way they treated you, she'd leave him and he'd never find them… reminded him that she's a Black capable of many things."

She signed and plopped down in front of him, grabbing the note from her pocket. "I can remember the abuse, just not the joy… I only got that when I was with you and Aunt Cissa as I got older."

Severus looked at the picture once more and sat across from her. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more about it… I can't believe he wrote you."

Ara shrugged glancing at the open note.

"What did he say?"

The question came from Lily who was standing off to the side and Ara momentarily forgot was there.

She shook her head, she wouldn't show them the letter "just that we were family and they'd be there for me when everyone else leaves… He's clearly trying to manipulate me," even hearing the words that came out of her mouth, she wasn't entirely certain she believed it. Part of her still believed that there would come a time when the Potters turned their back and when she'd be left without anyone. Part of her believed that she was born dark, that it was apart of her and there was no turning back on that. Part of her felt that she wasn't good enough for them.

The two of them exchanged a look "if you won't show us the letter, will you show Dumbledore."

She kept re-reading the last paragraph where he mentions that he isn't her biological father. It was a large piece of information and she wasn't sure she was ready for anyone, even the headmaster to know it.

"I think the only thing that's important for him to know is that he said we'd be 'rejoined soon enough,'" she said bitterly.

Snape nodded and reached out a hand to grasp Ara's. "I'm sorry I took your uncle's side that day when you ran to me…"

Ara looked at him, her gaze hard. "Are you really a spy for the order? Or are you a true death eater?"

His look was sad, but he never broke eye contact. "I am a spy for the Order." He said simply and for the first time she was beginning to believe him.

She wandered through Potter Manor. It was light out, but there wasn't anyone in sight. It was odd considering the fullness of the house over the last week since the incident at the burrow. She walked through the kitchen, it seemed there was almost always someone there, but it was empty as well. Convinced that they all must have gone into the backyard to play Quidditch, she made her way out there.

It was cold, far too cold for summer. The sun was bright and the air looked to be sweltering with heat waves. She made her way out to the small rose garden and couldn't stop the gasp that left her. James lay on the ground, next to Lily, both of their eyes open and unseeing.

Her feet kept moving, but she wasn't sure why. Part of her knew she should check on them, though it would be pointless. She could see someone standing at the far edge of the garden, though the garden itself seemed to be miles longer than normal. Strewn across the garden were bodies all in various stages of decaying, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the others. Some looked to have died from the killing curse while others died bloody deaths. She kept walking, tears filled her eyes as she saw the dead bodies of Bill and the twins.

"No," She whispered as she passed a small hedge, only to see the mutilated body of Charlie. She couldn't get herself to fall to her knees beside him. Her feet kept moving towards the figure at the end.

The closer she got, the more she realized that what she saw wasn't a figure, but rather figures. Two people stood at the end of the garden, standing rather close though it was clear this wasn't because of friendship. At the ground beneath their feet was Draco, blood pouring from his neck while his insides laid scattered across the ground around him.

Only then did she realize she had a knife in her hand. She shuddered at the sight. It was pure silver, eight inches in length, with a brass handle carved to look like a snake. She could remember the knife from her childhood, when it was used to carve words into her skin. Now she held it, dripping with blood that wasn't her own.

"My darling Ara," said the cool, lifeless voice of the man in front of her. He stood calmly, his black robes moving in the breeze as his snake like face and red eyes stared hard at the figure beside him.

"Cedric," she whispered, moving closer to him.

"Now, now Ara… you know why you're here," Voldemort taunted, a sickly-sweet smile plastered on his face as he glanced at the knife in her hand. "This was all your doing you know," he gestured to the body's lying behind her.

She shook her head "I wouldn't," she said disbelievingly.

Voldemort simply nodded "yes you did… You know your rightful place Ara, you know you belong by my side, we are the same after all… My blood flows through your veins."

"Don't listen to him Ara," Cedric pleaded, his eyes wide and fearful. He had never been fearful of her before. "Please you don't have to do this… you aren't like him," he insisted.

Ara shook her head "I'm not evil," she said quietly, not quite believing what she was saying.

"No?" Voldemort asked with a smile still on his face. "wasn't it you who killed that muggle all those years ago? Didn't you stab the werewolf in the leg? Wasn't it you who tormented your friend until he withdrew from school? Tell me, does anyone know just how deep you've gone in the dark arts?"

She shook her head… she hadn't meant to be so horrible, in any of those situations.

"Besides, you've already killed Cedric… you were far more powerful than you seemed, are you really telling me you couldn't break the glass barrier?"

The surroundings shifted, they were no longer in the garden at Potter Manor, but were in the graveyard of Little Hangleton. Cedric and Voldemort stood in the same positions, but the dead were closer, nearly at her feet and it was then that she realized they all died from stab wounds.

"finish the job Ara," Voldemort said once more.

"Please," Cedric whispered, his eyes shining with tears.

"your blood runs black," Voldemort said once more "Look at what you've already done," he said gesturing to the bodies littering the ground behind her.

There wasn't time to think, the last thing Ara saw was Cedric's pleading eyes as she stabbed the knife through his chest, directly into his heart. She watched him gasp and struggle before the life left his eyes and he fell to the ground with a thud.

Voldemort was laughing, high pitched, maniacal.

He was right, she was born this way, but she didn't want to be. She wanted to be let out.

She wasn't sure when she had started screaming, but her voice felt raw as she drowned out Voldemort's laughs.

This can't be real, she thought, shutting her eyes tightly praying to wake up. When she opened her eyes again she somewhere else, somewhere she'd seen only in pictures. She stood in the forest while a boat slid closer and closer, four hunched figures squatting low in the boat. In the far away distance you could see the triangular shape of a large building. Even being this close to it sucked the life out of the surrounding area. The long black cloaks flew around the building effortlessly and Ara could see the life force being sucked through the walls.

"mum" she whispered as the boat drew nearer and she realized who was in it.

"Hello Darling," Bellatrix said as she stepped out of the boat. She was followed closely by three other men, only two of whom she recognized.

"Beautiful Ara," the older of the men said, running the backs of his fingers across her cheekbone. "you've certainly grown up."

"Hi dad," she said with a small, hesitant smile. She wasn't happy to see them, they belonged in the place in the middle of the ocean. They were supposed to rot there forever like so many others before them.

Bellatrix laughed, it was high pitched and cruel. Another word for it could be insane. She was certain her mother was rather insane if she'd just come from Azkaban.

"You always were a thoughtful child, no matter how hard I tried to get you to think less and listen more."

Ara instinctively ran her fingers across her arms where she knew hidden scars lied.

She turned to walk with them into the forest, her uncle and the other man following a short distance behind them.

"Are you ready to join?" her father asked.
"Join what?" she asked in a voice not her own. It was deeper, more lifeless, colder.

The other two laughed as they walked into a clearing. They weren't alone, within the clearing was a circle of people. People who Ara knew from throughout her childhood. Death Eaters. She remained in front of her parents as they joined the circle, her uncle and the man standing next to them. Voldemort stood in the middle as he held out his hand to Ara. She didn't want to, but her feet carried her towards him. He grasped her hand and rolled up the arm of her shirt. He whispered something that she didn't recognize, but in an instant, she felt searing pain in her arm.

"the sacrifice," Voldemort said, waving his arm to the side.

Bellatrix and two of his masked Death Eaters came forward pulling a figure in-between them. The figure was familiar, but she couldn't see his face as it was covered with what seemed to be a pillow case.

The pain in her arm grew sharper and she could see the dark mark being carved into her forearm.

The hood was ripped off the man and Ara tried to pull away.

"No," she said pleadingly.

"sacrifices must be made Ara, he will only hold you down."

Charlie stood, though barely. He looked like he had been beaten.

"Not Charlie," she said through her tears.

"There are others more worthy of your devotion," Bellatrix said and with one swipe of her arm, a slit appeared in his throat as blood began pouring out.

"Ara!"

The voices were calling, but it wasn't possible, they were all dead, Charlie was dead. She'd killed them.

She was kicking, pushing everything away from her as she felt like she was being suffocated. She could feel the bile in her throat and the tingling in her cheeks. She landed hard on the ground, opening her eyes to find that she was no longer in the graveyard at Little Hangleton, no longer in the clearing of the woods on the shore of Azkaban, but on the floor of her bedroom at Potter Manor.

"It's just a dream," someone said, though they sounded as though they were far away.

She got shakily to her feet and ran the short distance to the bathroom before emptying the contents of her stomach. She tried her best to keep her eyes open for every time they closed, she could simply see the dead bodies of the people she'd betrayed. She wasn't sure how long she sat with her head in the toilet, but after a while there was someone behind her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. She felt herself being lifted into strong arms and laid in bed. It was in the comfort of those arms that Ara felt herself slip into a welcome unconsciousness.

There was barely a light that shone on the book in front of him. He kept it dim as to not wake up his cousin, the last thing he needed was for her to start snooping around. He knew she knew something but was being kind enough not to pry for information. He snorted softly as he read the book, had anyone suggested a few months ago that he'd be staying at Potter Manor and would be working closely with his arch rival turned best friend, he'd try to have them committed, or rather have his father have them committed.

"No," Draco turned, the whisper was so soft, he'd barely heard it. It was then that he noticed the sweat on Ara's brow and the movement of her arms and legs.

He swung his legs off the bed, tucking the book underneath his mattress before padding across the wooden floor to her bed. "Ara," he whispered, gently shaking her. It wasn't the first night this week that he'd had to wake her from a bad dream.

He could feel the electricity flowing from her body as she continued to shake. After a moment she began thrashing even more, trying to rip the covers off of her, only to get wrapped up in them even tighter.

"wake up Ara, it's just a dream," he said, grabbing her once more.

She wasn't waking, but the dream seemed to be getting worse. He jumped back in surprise when she let out an ear-splitting scream.

"Stop," she yelled. Draco reached forward to grab her, but was thrown back, landing hard against the wall and falling into a heap on the floor.

The yelling and the thud seemed to wake up the other occupants of the home, for the room was soon filled with James, Sirius, Lily, Bill, Molly, and Arthur.

"She's having a nightmare," he said quickly from his place on the floor.

Sirius made his way over to her but was also thrown back when he got too close. She wasn't letting anyone touch her, making it harder to calm her down.

They tried spraying her with water and dropping cushions on her, but the barrier around her expanded, pushing everything away from her, even shooting it back at the caster. She let out another gut-wrenching scream, causing the window in the room to shatter into a million pieces on the floor.

"Should we stun her?" Arthur asked, keeping his distance.

Bill shook his head "It could knock us out."

"NO! STOP! NO!" she shouted again; her throat raw from screaming. The whole house seemed to shake, and they were at a loss of what to do. James was getting ready to cast a stunner, prepared to take the brunt of the backlash when Ara sat straight up before turning and rolling off the bed, landing hard on the floor.

Her clothes were drenched with sweat and her eyes were still clenched shut as she breathed heavily.

Bill made his way towards her only to get shocked badly by the barrier she had put up. It seemed even though she was awake, the barrier remained. After only another moment, she bolted past them, sending them flying back as she rushed into the bathroom. From their places on the floor they could hear the throwing up.

"I'll be back," Bill said quickly, heading towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Weasley asked quickly, but Bill simply shook his head and left.

Lily and Sirius had both tried getting close to her in the bathroom but were unable to do so. She sat with her head in the toilet and seemed to be unable to hear their words of comfort or reassurance. It wasn't long before Bill came back, pulling Charlie along behind him. As much as Draco wanted to know how Charlie managed to get from Romania to Potter Manor in the matter of minutes, he had more pressing issues, such as his cousin.

"She's put up a barrier, won't let anyone near her," Bill said, pointing towards the bathroom.

Charlie didn't say anything but headed straight for the bathroom. He hesitated only briefly, before laying his hand on her shoulder, feeling her relax against his touch. He rubbed her back soothingly as she threw up once more. When she was finished, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom.

With a couple waves of her wand, Lily changed the sheets. Arthur pulled Molly out of the room, but the others remained while Charlie crawled in bed beside her, burying his head in her hair while her eyes rolled in her head and she slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

Draco followed the others out of the room. He was slightly surprised to find that no one else was up, though he assumed Mrs. Weasley had ushered them all back into their rooms.

"how'd you know that would help?" Sirius asked Bill, still rubbing his back from where it connected with the wall.

Bill shrugged "I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I think they have some sort of a soul bond."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

Draco had heard of soul bonds before, but they were rare in wizarding society. They generally only occurred between soul mates who had been married for many years.

"during the attack at the Burrow, Ara was hit with a cutting hex… Charlie couldn't say exactly what had happened, but he could feel her almost… he felt that something was wrong… I figured if anyone could get through to her it was him."

"Well good thinking then," Sirius said gratefully, glancing back at the door where Ara was.

"How'd you make it to Romania and back?" Lily asked.

Bill yawned and stretched "That's a story for another time… I really need to get some sleep."

James snorted "way to avoid the question… we'll find out eventually."

Bill shook his head "Ara can apparate in the grounds of Hogwarts, what makes you think I can't Apparate all the way to Romania?"

They all gave him disbelieving looks, other than Draco who still looked concerned.

"I've never seen her have a nightmare that bad… I know she wasn't sleeping well and she's had nightmares over the last few nights, but I could always wake her up," the question lingered in the air. The question of what they would do next time it were to happen or what they would do if the nightmares became even more horrible.

"I don't think Charlie will be going back to Romania," Bill said softly.

"Why do you say that?" Sirius asked.

Bill paused "it hasn't been the same for him since he got back… he's stayed because of Dumbledore, but I think he really wants to be here with Ara and the family… He wanted to come back after the attack on the burrow, but Ara convinced him to stay… now that she needs him, he won't be easily convinced."

The others nodded, each hoping that it was true, that someone would be there to take care of Ara.