A/N: I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, but I'm really busy now I'm back at school :( and I also have a show coming up in three weeks :S. Anyway, thanks to Moon Lantern and DHKroeger18 for reviewing the last chapter :)

The day of the trial was a stressful one. Everybody in 12 Grimmauld Place was tense and snapping at each other. Mrs Weasley was especially tense. She had been up since about 5am, getting Harry and Mr Weasley ready to leave and, even though Sirius, Lupin and Tonks had been up too, Molly had worn herself out completely with all her fretting.

There was no meeting today, and all anyone could do was wait for news from Harry and Mr Weasley. But wherever Ron, Hermione, Ariella and Ginny went, it seemed they were in the way and had one or other of the adults yelling at them. Eventually, they gave up and just went up to the girls' room where they stayed until Mrs Weasley came hurrying into their room to tell them Harry had arrived back.

At that point, all four had got up and charged past Mrs Weasley in an attempt to beat the each other down there, leaving the witch standing in the doorway, before she too rushed down the steps, anxious to hear the result.

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"

"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when they had entered the kitchen and seen Harry and was now holding a shaking hand over her eyes. "There was no case against you, none at all."

"Everyone seems quite relieved though, considering you knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling.

"You have no idea how tense it's been around here," Ariella interjected, watching as Fred, George and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: "He got off, he got off, he got off…"

"That's enough! Settle down!" Mr Weasley shouted, although he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry–"

"What?" said Sirius sharply.

"He got off, he got off, he got off…"

"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me in Bethnal Green. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner—"

"He got off, he got off, he got off…"

"That's enough—Fred—George—Ginny!" said Mrs Weasley, as Mr Weasley left the kitchen. "Harry, dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast."

Ron, Ariella and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him, looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at Grimmauld Place. Ariella was just glad because it meant all the tension had left the house and she wouldn't be yelled at for getting in the way. The others were more happy about the fact their friend would be coming back to Hogwarts with them.

"Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potato on to everyone's plates.

"Yeah, he swung it for me," said Harry. Ariella saw his grin falter slightly but she just took it as he was tired. She couldn't imagine how stressful and nerve-racking it must have been for him. Then he suddenly clamped his hand to his forehead and let out a little groan, making her jump.

"What's up?" said Hermione, looking alarmed.

"Scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing… it happens all the time now…"

None of the others had noticed a thing; all of them were now helping themselves to food while gloating over Harry's narrow escape; Fred, George and Ginny were still singing. Hermione looked rather anxious, but before she could say anything, Ron had said happily, "I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening, to celebrate with us, you know."

"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," said Mrs Weasley, setting a huge plate of roast chicken down in front of Harry. "He's really very busy at the moment."

"HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF—"

"SHUT UP!" roared Mrs Weasley.

The three immediately fell silent, Fred and George glaring at their mother. Then they spotted Harry's chicken.

"How come he gets all that?" George asked.

"When we only get this," Fred finished, gesturing to their plates with nowhere near half the amount of meat on them.

"Harry's had a stressful day," snapped Mrs Weasley. "And if you two are going to be so rude, then I suggest you cook yourselves next time!"

"Ooh, somebody's stressy," George muttered, rolling his eyes, but Mrs Weasley had already gone back to the oven to fetch more food and luckily, she didn't seem to hear.

The rest of the meal passed in near silence, apart from the rare question from the twins about the courtroom and Cornelius Fudge and the occasional request for someone to pass a dish over. Ariella hadn't dared to say anything after Mrs Weasley had started shouting. She couldn't wait until 3rd September when she could start school and get away from the woman that partly terrified her. She only had twenty one days left, but she had a feeling they were going to be the longest three weeks of her life.

Please let me know what you think! The more people I know are liking this, the quicker I am likely to update as I like to please people! :D