Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter.

Chapter 8

Sometime later

An old and decaying wooden box exploded violently into a million miniscule pieces, its fragments scattering across the large and cluttered room in an angry fashion. A young girl winced from the shower of airborne splinters as they pummelled and gnawed with ferocity at her face, leaving angry red marks that sullied her once perfect and pale skin.

Her opponent was near; she could almost sense it. Crouching behind an upturned wooden table on a cold stone floor, she steadied her breath and readied an ebon-hued wand in her right hand in preparation as she tightened her grip almost to the point where the wood groaned in protest.

That last attack was slightly sloppy… I just need to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Her adversary was still on the prowl for her, coming out into the presence of dim light to form a blurry silhouette every now and then to blow up objects to systematically clear out the room of places to hide, patiently watching and waiting for its target before fading back into the shadows like a vampire.

The room was deathly silent as she padded soundlessly, still crouched, sideways from the tiled table to nestle herself behind an empty greying bookshelf, cobwebs and dust lining every nook and cranny of its disused body. Thanking Merlin for her previous decision to cast a silencing charm on her feet, she readied a spell on her taut lips, blood pounding in her head while feet tensed up in anticipation.

This level of magic is too strong for me to fight against head on. I need to create a distraction and then follow up with something powerful.

She then heard the figure once again shuffle out, but this time, the sound was heard only a few feet on the opposite side of the bookshelf, of where she was staying absolutely still. Not even daring to breathe, she remained on her hands and knees on the chilly grey floor as her mind whirled through possible routes of attack she could pursue now to save herself.

She didn't even flinch when a white armoire, or it could have been any colour as the pigment had faded over the inevitable course of time, was obliterated into oblivion beside her when a red spell slammed into it with a rich earthen crunch, rocking every other object in the room into resonance as the almost visible shockwave propagated outward.

Her bracelet started to heat up and she knew it was only a matter of time before the sizzling of skin or her stifled cries of pain would alert her pursuer to her location. Thankfully, she heard the shuffling of feet grow slightly fainter, as if it was walking away.

Now.

A sudden burst of adrenaline gave her the ability to ignore the pains and aches she was currently carrying as she silently sprung out behind her protective cover, a glowing black wand primed and ready for action. The dim light was flickering, casting a crepuscular glow within in the room.

With strained and narrow eyes, she saw the back of a figure and the billow of dark robes retreat in her line of sight as it made a beeline for the far corner of the room, to where sofas lay destroyed and abused by powerful magic.

She then whispered a simple yet effective charm she had learned in her second year at Hogwarts, the power of knowledge once more giving her strength.

"Avifors."

The aquamarine spell flew silently and diagonally across the room behind the figures back, hitting an opaque glass orb atop a reddish sofa caked in dust, morphing its yellowy exterior into the shape of a similarly hued canary. A mental command from its petite master gave the newly created avian construct purpose, and after chirping loudly, the bird spread its tiny wings and flapped with vigour into the direction of the retreating figure.

Her eyes widened as the bird passed harmlessly through the body as it were made of smoke and plummeted out of the air into the ground, creating a small blue explosion which destroyed part of the floor. Her irises dilated and her eyebrows rose even higher at the unexpected result of her spell, as she knew that this particular charm had no destructive magic infused in it.

The figure did not even react at all, not even registering the presence of a shattered flagstone that was blasted apart at its feet.

A low voice then spoke behind her, sending adrenaline pulsing through her veins and making her bite her lip to hold in a cry from the sudden wave of heat from her left wrist.

"Everything ends now, Ariana."

Her heart was almost beating out of her chest as she whipped her head violently around, causing her lengthy onyx hair to cover her eyes and impede vision temporarily. She raised her wand in blind confusion, its tip glowing red with the precursor of a stunning spell and shouted frantically.

"Stupef-…"

The spell was never finished as a cold blackness took over.


Ariana awoke with a groan and propped herself up to a sitting position on a blackened sofa, her dark lavender robes swirling and swishing around her with the movement. Patting herself down, she realized that all her minor scrapes and burns had all been healed with a powerful restorative spell, as even her aches weren't present.

She also registered that she was in the same room. The stagnant air swirled around crooked white candles that hung limp from rusty chandeliers attached to the ceiling as fragments of plaster lay damp over a long untrodden floor, their only purpose to mould itself into an outline of the stone beneath. Shelves, desks and other sundries lay rotten and blistered by the dampness, nursing the mildew of objects that have but all been abandoned by the living.

Turning her head around from side to side, she spied a grinning man sitting on the far end of the sofa to the right of her and groaned with exasperation at the mirth that was held in his face.

"You really like to end duels with dramatic one-liners don't you, Albus?" she chuckled as she hazily recalled the panic that had been induced by his last statement.

"Whenever I was challenged to a duel, the media would be always watching my every move. They would always get excited to quote the short adages I would say before defeating my opponents," Albus replied as he chuckled, sky blue eyes twinkling as he reminisced about the past.

Albus eyes then lost its hazy look and slightly hardened while taking a deep breath as he changed the topic and begun to lecture young Ariana in the sacred art of warfare, where the smallest of mistakes could lead to the deadliest of consequences.

"Firstly Ariana, never get lulled into the false sense of security when you notice a pattern that the enemy displays. It may be entirely fabricated in order manipulate you on the battlefield," he began, eyes lighting up as the arguably most powerful wizard in the world addressed a ten year old girl that sat cross-legged on the sofa, listening in rapt attention.

"Notice how I created a pattern early on in the duel? I attacked, stood still, and backed off multiple times. After only a few cycles however, I had already hid in the shadows and conjured an image of me doing the exact same movements while I cast the spells hidden under the cover of darkness." Albus continued as he stressed his point, the underlying current of his voice implying that Voldemort was capable of such cunning manoeuvres.

"Secondly, you are still not adapting well to your new body… you take large strides and leaps that almost always fall short of your intended target. Lucky for us, we still have time for you to adapt when we train."

"I'm working on it…. I'll never be used to having long hair too," Ariana blurted out before thinking properly, moaning in annoyance as she remembered how quick turns of her head would make long hair fly in front of her eyes.

Albus's eyebrow quirked up in mild interest at her utterance. "Oh? I take it you always had short hair in the future?"

Ariana froze for a millisecond before nervously laughing, "Yeah, something like that," she coughed as her hands tightened into balls in her folded legs at the minor slip-up. She was getting bewildered about that fact that she was always strangely terrified about letting Albus find out about her true self.

Ignoring the curious action, Albus continued his informative discourse. "Lastly, you are now small in stature and you need to use this to your advantage. When faced with an incoming spell, you have to decide in a split second whether it is more tiring magically and physically to dodge it entirely or cast a shielding charm."

"Wait… isn't it impossible think that fast in a mere second?" Ariana forcefully countered, her eyebrows furrowing in thought, "No one can react to the spell being cast verbally, or silently I might add, assess whether a shield charm is suitable, and either cast it or roll away all in a fraction of time."

Albus sagely nodded at her logical debate and decided to give her a practical demonstration instead of a lengthy lecture. He stood up from the sofa, his dark grey robes unfurling as he withdrew his knobbly wand to point at a dark corner of the derelict room.

"Now close your eyes and look away Ariana. I will now cast two spells and you will tell me the difference between the two… if you can sense any," he instructed as he waited for vivid green eyes to vanish from sight under eyelids that were framed by thick black eyelashes.

Albus silently counted to three before he spoke softly.

"Lumos."

After a few seconds, he ended the spell which produced light with a simple counter-spell, and cast the second one silently this time.

"Lumos Maxima."

Waiting again for a couple of seconds, he ended the spell which created an even brighter shine and turned back the young girl that was still obediently closing her eyes.

"You can open your eyes now Ariana," Albus began, the old days of teaching Transfiguration kicking him back into warm and encouraging teacher he once was, "What were the two spells that I had just cast?"

Ariana blearily opened her eyes in confusion and turned back to face Albus, "The first one was Lumos obviously since I heard it, but the second one, it… it could have been anything!" she spluttered as her hands waved expressively in the air to emphasize her point.

Albus chuckled at her unconscious and adorable habit before giving her another question, "Now, ignore the first question and answer me this one. Between the two spells, what sort of difference did you feel magically?"

"Well… umm… " Ariana hummed and hawed as she scrunched up her face in thought, hands playing with loose strands of hair. She chewed her lip slightly and tapped her inner thighs agitatedly as the cogs and spurs in her mind started turning.

With a jolt, she sat up straighter and her eyes shined brighter as the epiphany struck her. "The second spell felt… similar to the first one, but there was much more power behind it when it was cast," she exclaimed excitedly.

Albus gave a wide smile and clapped his hands enthusiastically, utterly delighted that his budding protégé could recognize the subtle nuances of magic at her tender young age… well not-so-young age, a fact that he had to constantly remind himself with.

"Now with that sorted, to answer your previous question. When locked in combat with a magical opponent, you must first gauge the strength of his spells by sensing the magic and reactively decide which shield charm or barrier you will cast," he began.

"If none intrinsically rise to mind because the spell is an unknown, or if the intensity of the magic is too strong, then you dodge," Albus enunciated and concluded in finality, the side of his mouth curving upward as Ariana sat spellbound with glazed eyes as she played out various scenes in her mind.

Glad that today's lesson was somewhat productive, Albus silently cast a quick Tempus spell to show the time, making red numbers appear and float in the air in front of him.

"Dear Merlin, would you look at that… come along now Ariana, it is way past your bedtime," Albus exclaimed, mischief filling his twinkling eyes.

Ariana rolled her eyes and grinned back before excitedly hopped off the couch after languidly stretching and emitting a loud yawn. Tomorrow was the start of Hogwarts, she both dreaded it and anticipated it at the same time, the thought meeting with particular individuals made her already side splitting grin stretch even further outwards.

Albus lost all traces of his smile as he seemed to figure out what Ariana was thinking about.

"Ariana, remember what we are doing… think about what we are working hard for," he asserted quietly, breaking the silence.

Ariana's face turned glum as she dully recited something she and Albus had talked about numerous times.

"Make sure events stay the same for four years until the end of 1980 because that is when Voldemort will start the war and that is when the location of his Horcruxes will stay fixed."

"Yes Ariana, I know Tom well enough. His intense fear of death means he will have all his Horcruxes safely hidden away from the world before plunging into war. I have already located Marvolo Gaunt's Ring and I'm close to finding out where the others are," Albus firmly reminded.

"I dare not approach the dark curses and traps that surround the ring. Although the hubris of Tom will not permit him to put simple warning charms on the area, I will not take the risk until it is time to strike all of the Horcruxes at once," he ended as Ariana nodded back in accordance, her eyes slightly brighter from the thought of taking Voldemort down.

Albus then clapped his hands and smiled brightly before putting a warm hand on the shoulder of a teetering Ariana, who was physically and mentally exhausted from the training of which she had begged Albus to teach her a while back, of which she had accomplished by using a newly found trick she had learned to master – the puppy eyes.

As they made their way to the only door in the room, an immaculate wooden piece of art that stood out from the rest of the desolate room, Albus was struck by a thought at the last second.

"By the way… I noticed your transfiguration spell was augmented with some sort of explosion charm, I've never seen that combination before. Is that spell one of your creations?"

"Wha-?" Ariana yawned sleepily, her eyes unfocusing as she leaned deeper into the soft folds of Albus' robes.

Albus gave a gentle smile and looked down at her as they exited the room. "Nothing."

Ariana could have sworn that her scar twinged ever so slightly when she turned her head back and looked one last time at the Room of Requirements before the door was slowly shut, sealing up all the good and evil that lay dormant within.


The early morning mist was beginning to clear. The dew laden grass and cobwebs shone and gleamed with the most basic and intricate of patterns as the orange sun rose into a pink thin layer of cloud. Birds sang gaily to establish their territories as animals stirred sleepily down below in the forest, signalling the chorus of dawn.

Ariana stirred as the soft sounds woke her up from a peaceful slumber, causing her to rustle under a warm and cosy duvet while clad in spotted blue pyjamas. Instinctively, her hand reached out from under the comfortable confines to pat around in search of her glasses. Groaning after a few seconds after realizing her situation, she wondered if she'll ever kick that habit and retracted her hand back into the toasty depths.

Still no dreams of Voldemort.

She reluctantly threw the deliciously warm covers off her and rolled out of bed, only to jam her feet into a pair of pink fluffy slippers that lay ready and waiting on the floor beside her bed.

Well… it's the last night I'll be in this room for a while. Now I have to sleep with a group of…

Ariana shuddered dramatically as she thought of her impending demise, silently cursing as she knew Albus would not understand her unwillingness to settle in with prepubescent girls.

Sighing loudly, she plodded over to her newly filled cupboard and pulled out a viridian tinged sundress and gathered toiletries, bunching them all up under her arm as her feet automatically guided her towards a private bathroom of which Albus graciously let her use, yawning loudly the entire way.

Albus was already dressed and refreshed when she exited her room to enter his office after she was cleaned and ready. He was furiously pouring through a mountain of paperwork in the early hours of the morning, making sure with one final check that all the legalities and stipulations were in order before the students of Hogwarts arrived.

Ariana cleared her throat, making Albus break his train of thought and jump slightly. She gave a soft smile before speaking.

"Good morning Albus, shall we head over for breakfast now? We best enjoy the last morning of peace and quiet before the mayhem begins," she giggled, strangely eager to be pranked first hand by her father as she recalled him telling her they pranked people en masse and did not single out anyone… save Snape.

Snape.

With a small frown, memories flooded back of the scene she had once watched in Snape's mind of her father bullying him mercilessly. No one should be tormented to that degree, however harsh and punishing he was to her in the future.

No matter how much Ariana tried to be otherwise, she had always carried a pure and gentle core within her fiery depths of her heart. With conviction, she decided to do something about the situation, but not before paling because her body and soul were always one step ahead of her mind.

Do not change events. Do NOT change events.

Rebellious thoughts drove themselves deep into her brain as her good-natured soul fought against her own calculating mind.

Severus Snape in the future was a man that was a product of constant abuse… from his home, his schoolmates, and even his new master.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at her last thought.

Wait-… how did I know about Snape's home life?

Anyway, I need to do something, his life is miserable since he has no true friends in Slytherin and it would be best if-

DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.

She squeezed her eyes shut in strife as an internal battle in her head waged a war between what was the right thing to do, and what were the things to do right.

She was so horribly confused by everything that was happening currently in her life, the moral and physical boundaries that constrained her body and mind had led her on like a helpless puppet that was jolted and tugged around by the thin strings that held her fragile body upright.

"-ana…. Ariana? Can you hear me?"

She pried open slightly wet eyes as she blinked unfocusedly and rubbed her eyes with her fists to clear the pervading haze on her vision. A face of a man she had come to become very fond of swam into focus.

"I've been calling your name for a while now… is everything alright?" Albus gently questioned, used to the volatile and often puzzling emotional behaviour exhibited by his young charge.

Rubbing her forearm across her eyes one last time, she banished all of her dismal and dreary thoughts as she gave a radiant smile that seemed to light up the room.

"Everything is fine Albus, shall we?" she beamed as she gestured towards the Great Hall. They both made their way down, only stopping to pet a trilling phoenix on their way out.

Ariana stuck very close to Albus as they ambled down the grand corridors of the castle, subconsciously moving out of sight from a trickle of students that had stayed in Hogwarts for the holidays due to various circumstances.

Breakfast was one of her favourite events of the day, as it was one of the only time she really got out of her room for fresh air since the rest of her day would of consist of either her pouring over a plethora of old and dusty manuscripts relating to Horcruxes, various ancient spells and dark rituals, or Albus training her rigorously.

As they entered through the open doors of the Great Hall, Ariana immediately spotted Professor McGonagall, Slughorn and Flitwick eating together cheerily while quietly having a discussion.

The Professors collectively turned their heads towards the presence of new arrivals and acknowledged the sight, causing Ariana to grin and wave her hand madly in the air to greet them. Minerva gave a soft smile and nodded in return; Horace gave a hearty laugh with a twinkle in his eye while Filius waved madly back in return, almost rocking his tiny body off his seat with the action.

Ariana bounded over to them and started conversing warmly with both Professor Slughorn and Flitwick as Minerva quietly discussed some last minute administrative matters with Albus. Long after their meals were finished, Ariana was still entertaining the two men, well one man and one half-goblin, causing them to laugh uproariously every so often at her expressive antics.

Minerva leaned over to Albus on her side and whispered in his ear, "That girl has something special about her… don't you agree, Albus? The room always brightens when she enters."

Albus chuckled beneath his bushy silver beard, "She is certainly special alright, more than you could possibly imagine," he whispered back.

Minerva raised an eye in fondness at the cryptic statement, thoroughly used to his ramblings and often barmy quotes after all the long years she had known the man.

The moment was interrupted as Ariana bounced over to stand in front of Albus with her hands behind her back, eyes glinting with hidden mischief.

"The cereal and fruit was nice and all… but those cream puffs made by the house elf Hooky are just too tasty. Albus, can we head down to the kitchens please?" she begged, eyes glazing over as her tongue stuck out slightly at the side of her mouth at the thought, creating a comic sight.

"Remember the last time you were high on sugar in the morning? I thought so. We'll have them at lunch instead," Albus firmly denied as Ariana gazed into his eyes, the other professors looking on in amusement.

Ariana said nothing; widening her eyes while the bottom of her lip quavered, she stared morosely at Albus as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. His heart almost missed a beat at the sight as a jolt ran through him.

"A-Ariana… please stop looking at me like that," Albus groaned weakly as he covered his face with a hand in an attempt to block the sight. After a few seconds he hesitantly peaked through his fingers, only to find the same face staring at him but with even wider eyes this time.

"FINE… fine, let's go," he wearily grumbled as he gave in and stood up, ignoring the snickers of his colleagues as he banished away the used utensils and bowls that lay strewn on the wooden table.

"She certainly has you firmly wrapped around her finger, old friend," Horace boomed with a belly-laugh, causing Minerva and Filius to join in at the sight of Ariana leading a slightly drooping Albus out through the doors of the Great Hall.

Ariana was humming happily and was skipping as they made their way down the staircase that led to the Hufflepuff Basement which also led to the kitchens. They made their way to a painting of a bowl of fruit along one of the corridors and after tickling the pear in the scene, it transformed into a green door-knob that led them into the warm glow and heat of a place of which almost all students had no idea existed.

A loud shout greeted them as they entered, making Albus jump slightly while Ariana stood calmly, as if she expected such a hullabaloo of a welcome.

"MISS KISMET IS BACK, READY THE CREAM PUFFS!"

A short and pink house elf with flappy ears and huge nose bounded up to them with a large smile on its face.

Albus chucked at the strange moniker, "Miss Kismet, is it? And something tells me this isn't your first visit here either," he said to Ariana with twinkling eyes.

Ariana grinned up in mischief towards him before turning towards a house elf that seemed to be bouncing left and right on the balls of its feet with excitement. "Hello again Hooky, I trust everyone doing well and is making the tastiest food in the whole world?" she brightly greeted.

Large tears filled Hooky's eyes as he grabbed a protesting house elf beside him, "Miss Kismet is always so kind to us, she is the greatest witch on the planet she is," Hooky wailed, ignoring the annoyed cries and flailing arms of the other elf as he sobbed into the other elf's apron.

Ariana looked on gently and giggled before prying him off the other elf and tried to calm him down while other house elves came running up to her with plates full off cream puffs.

Albus was warmed at the sight of Ariana interacting so kindly with the house elves; many a wizard and witch looked down on them with disdain in their everyday life just because they behaved and looked different.

When they finished what they had come for, they exited the kitchens, making Ariana give her stomach a contented pat on the way out as they made their way back to Albus' office. Realizing something suddenly, Ariana turned to face her companion that had accompanied her on her sinful escapade.

"By the way Albus, what does 'Miss Kismet' mean? All the house elves call me that no matter what I say. Must be some sort of house elf nickname right?" she guessed as she tapped her finger against her chin in thought.

Albus with his ever flowing fountain of knowledge was always a figure she unconsciously looked to in times of need.

"It is not a form or endearment nor a nickname at all, Ariana. It is simply a word of the English language; it is close synonym to destiny… or fate," Albus corrected distractedly, his mind still focused on the mountain of creams puffs that Ariana had coaxed him to eat along with her a couple of minutes ago.

Ariana froze and stopped walking for a millisecond before picking up the pace to match Albus' long strides, unbeknownst to him that her fists were tightened into balls, hard enough to draw a hint of blood.

Surprised that she was relatively calm and her magic wasn't flaring up, she sardonically turned her thoughts to a plane that existed above the mortal one.

Very funny.

Albus was still observant enough to notice Ariana's slight discomfort. "Are you feeling alright? I told you eating that pile of cream puffs would upset your stomach," he gently admonished as he too felt the effects their gluttony rumble in his stomach as well.

Ariana shook her head slowly before giving her familiar and distinctive glowing smile that would often send Albus to bed with a lighter heart. "I'm fine Albus, we should prepare for the students arriving tonight. I'll help in any way possible," she warmly responded as she assertively clutched his hand.

Albus gazed into her face and felt all his worries disappear as he felt her infectious happiness spread to him, making his fingers and toes tingle warmly. He knew that the power of love brought hope; no matter how destructive it was, no matter how much it hurt. He squeezed her hand gently and gave an affectionate smile, causing her eyes to green eyes to radiantly shine in return.

"Let's go."


A/N: This update was slightly slow because I was quite sick recently, they will most likely be out faster after this one! :)