The Watcher
Chapter 3
From Wicked Witch to Fairy Godmother
By Magoo
The sunlight that was streaming through the window near her bed caused Arabella to awaken against her will. One eye opened slowly to peer at the clock. 7:00 AM. Curling back under the covers, Arabella considered going back to sleep. Waking up early had never been one of her favorite activities.
Lily and Jane generally had to drag me out of bed every morning for breakfast, she remembered, smiling. Even worse than the prospect of being awake at such an ungodly hour, was the fact that she had no purpose for being awake. As much as she wanted to just run over to the Dursleys' and sweep her godson into a big hug, she knew quite well that if she appeared on the Dursleys' front stoop at 7:00 on a Sunday morning, she would either have to Curse them, which would get her into trouble with both Dumbledore and the Ministry, or if she didn't curse them, Petunia Evans Dursley would most likely call the police. So instead, she would have to wait until a more reasonable hour, and then come up with an excuse for why she needed to speak with her neighbors.
Maybe I could ask to borrow a cup of sugar? No, that won't work. I could just go up to them and introduce myself as the new resident of number 42, Magnolia Crescent. The cousin of the previous Mrs. Figg. Then I can ask to see that lovely young woman Petunia Dursley, whom my cousin spoke so highly of. She shook her head. That wouldn't work. Just the thought of saying those things about Lily's sister made Arabella feel physically ill. She would have to keep thinking.
Tumbling out of bed, she raised her hands to her face to cover her yawn. As Arabella caught sight of her hands, she froze in shock. I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. Quickly, she rushed over to the mirror and screamed. If this is a dream, I can wake up now! she thought furiously. Apparently, there was a reason why she had been warned not to use this particular spell for self-transfiguration.
Looking back in the mirror, Arabella was unable to do anything but stare at her own reflection in horror. The changes that had occurred were nauseating to say the least. Her skin had turned a revolting shade of pea green. Her previously blue-gray eyes were now small, beady and black. Her nose had extended and curved into a hook. Glancing down, she noticed that her hands had shriveled as well, and her fingernails had changed to claws. She looked like the stereotypical witch from Muggle fiction!
For once, it was actually a good thing that she had awoken early. Plenty of time to undo this mess. "First thing to do," Arabella informed her reflection, "is to try the obvious." Pointing her wand at herself, she muttered two words. "Finite Incantatem!"
Nothing happened.
A torment of curses flew from Arabella's mouth. This was not a good sign. Quickly she summoned the book she had found the spell in, one of her Gran's prized volumes. "A Wizard's Guide to a Changed Appearance" flew into her hands. Although it was a bit out of date it was still highly useful. My own fault for trusting a book written in 758 B.C. Waving her wand over the enormous tome, it opened to the specific page she needed. She began to read through the spell more thoroughly, trying to find anything that could explain her…condition. One particular phrase seemed to jump out at her:
To safely cast this Charm, a phoenix core embedded in bronze must be worn about the neck. The material of the chain matters not, as long as the latter is dipped in liquid silver under the light of the full moon. Beware that you follow this procedure carefully, lest you end up looking like Malificent. 'Twould be a shame, as green skin is out of fashion this season.
She continued reading the passage, but found nothing to help her. However, there was a note attached to the bottom. Flipping to the specified page, Arabella sighed in relief as she found the Counter-Charm.
"Primitive wizards," she sighed. "Jeunesse," she said in disgust. Her whole body jerked as the transformation took place. Although the process this time was rather painful, Arabella sighed in relief as her complexion and everything else that had changed quickly reverted to their true forms.
Glancing at the clock, she noted that it was only 7:45. So, now that she had returned to her state of youthful beauty, she could begin the search for a way to perform the spell without any complications. Regardless of her feelings about research, Arabella couldn't help but feel grateful that she had an enormous amount of information and supplies at her disposal.
Bronze pendant. She had that. Liquid Silver. Check. Of course, the full moon was two days ago, so she had another MONTH to wait. But, a phoenix core? Those were incredibly valuable, and extremely rare. Generally, when a phoenix died, it was due to the cycle of rebirth. However, if a phoenix was killed, it would leave behind a single pure core of fire. There were only three known to exist.
"This doesn't make sense though," Arabella mused. "I've seen Gran perform that same spell dozens of times while she was on Auror duty…" A wide grin spread over her face. "I guess coming from an old wizarding family does have some advantages."
She quickly ran to the cupboard in which she had placed many of her personal belongings. Opening her jewelry case, she reached for the silver chain that her Gran had so often worn. The red jewel in the center flashed brightly as the light streaming through the windows hit it dead on. It was definitely a phoenix core. No wonder Gran had always warned me only to use self- transfiguration for little things, like hair color, Arabella thought.
Slipping on the pendant, Arabella gasped as she felt an electric shock run through her body. Reaching for the clasp on the back of the chain, she gasped in horror as she realized that it had disappeared. If she was wrong, and this wasn't the pendant she needed, she would be stuck wearing it no matter what.
This time Arabella didn't bother to use her wand. She simply grasped the chain and repeated the Charm. Instead of the sharp burning sensation she had felt the first time she had changed, this transformation was rather smooth. Arabella could actually feel her features molding into her desired appearance. Unlike the previous attempt she had made at Transfiguration, no modifications to her appearance were necessary. She was now the quintessence of that nice little old lady who appeared to reside on everyone's block.
Touching the pendant again, Arabella concentrated to reverting to her true form. She slid back easily. After practicing a few more times, she was satisfied that the spell had worked adequately, and she wouldn't revert to the Wicked Witch of the West. Arabella smiled briefly, thinking of her favorite movie from when she was a child. Of course, the only reason she had seen it so often, she thought bitterly, was because her mother had wanted to prove a point about why witches were evil.
Nearly two hours later, Arabella was ready to leave. She'd had her shower, eaten breakfast and was dressed as a little old Muggle lady. Putting the finishing touches on her appearance, Arabella put her wand into a magical compartment in her handbag and put the bag over her left arm. Glancing over at her appearance one last time, she walked out the door, locking it behind her.
The course of action that she had finally decided upon was to wander around the neighborhood and allow the Dursley family to see her. That shouldn't be too difficult, considering that Petunia always loved to spy on people with lives more interesting then her own, namely everyone. After perhaps a half-hour, she was going to pause immediately in front of the Dursley household. If she was lucky, and Arabella highly doubted that she would be, Petunia might actually offer to help her. If not, then Arabella would go up to the house, ring the bell, and ask for a glass of water. Perhaps she could claim that she was lost. Once inside, she could introduce herself. Knowing Lily's sister as well as she did, Arabella was convinced that Petunia would show off her son, Dinkins or whatever his name was. That would leave Arabella an opening to offer to baby-sit. Of course, Petunia would never part with her own child for a second, but Arabella was convinced that she wouldn't give up an offer to dump Lily's son on anyone else who was around.
Arabella began to wander around the neighborhood, taking in the familiar sights. As she walked, her mind began to drift, to a time long past. Her first meeting with Petunia Evans…
Arabella Figg, Lily Evans and Jane Prewett had just stepped off the Hogwarts Express for the Christmas Holidays. The three first year Gryffindors simply couldn't understand why the four boys in their year that they were close to had elected to remain at Hogwarts, when they could go home and visit their families. All three girls had been thoroughly enjoying their classes, but they did need a break from the school environment. Plus, they all wanted to visit each other over the holidays. Joking and laughing, they began to push their way through the crowd of people who were gathered on the platform, in a mad search to find their families.
Jane saw them first. "Mum," she called. "Dad! Over here!"
Her parents fairly flew over to embrace their only child in an encompassing hug. After the brief family reunion was over, Jane began to introduce her friends to her family.
Both adults nodded to the girls, who quickly chorused in unison "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Prewett." Mr. Prewett was a small, nervous man who appeared to have little interest in his daughter's friends. His wife, though, was openly quizzing Jane on whether she was living up to her status as a pureblood and whether Ari and Lily were suitable companions for her.
From the look on Jane's face, it was obvious to her friends that she was beginning to regret coming home for the holidays when she could have stayed at Hogwarts and had snowball fights for a week. They, themselves, didn't even know how much longer they could spend listening to her parents, but it would be rude to just leave. Luckily, Alice Moore, Ari's Grandmother appeared.
Alice Moore was an imposing figure to behold. Although she stood only a little over 5'4'', her piercing gray eyes seemed to say that she was not a woman to be trifled with. Alice smiled widely when she sighted her granddaughter, and headed over to them, her silver braid swinging behind her. Sweeping Ari up into a huge hug, she also gave Lily a kiss on the cheek. However, her smile
slightly faded when she noticed the Prewetts.
"Geoff, Victoria," she said, her voice filled with false cheer. "It's a pleasure to see you again. I hope that your daughter has been enjoying Hogwarts."
Geoff Prewett looked even more nervous, if that was at all possible, at the sight of the famed Auror. "A pleasure to see you as well," he managed to reply.
His wife glanced around, losing her composure for the first time. "Oh, look at the time, I'm afraid that we have to go. Goodbye Mrs. Moore, goodbye girls."
Each parent taking Jane firmly by the wrist, they began to walk towards the Floo Station. Jane looked back at them helplessly. "Bye Ari, bye Lily," she called, and then vanished into the crowd.
Alice shook her head in disgust. "Former Gryffindors or not, they're absolutely Slytherin in some of their attitudes. Such emphasis on purity of blood. I wouldn't be surprised if-" she broke off, noticing the curious looks she was getting from the two eleven year olds. But she muttered one more comment, which Ari had to strain to hear, "Just the sort of thing that drove my little girl away."
Ari was startled at the reference to her mother. She had never understood why her mother hated magic so much, when she was the daughter of a powerful witch. Maybe it was because Mum didn't have powers, and people were mean to her? Ari thought. That must be why Mum was so upset when I showed signs of magic. And that must be why she hated me, because I had what she was denied. An old thought came back to haunt her: If I were like my Mum, would she still love me?
"Ari," Lily said, her voice filed with concern. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, quickly wiping a tear off her face with the back of her hand. "I'm fine, don't worry."
Alice turned towards Arabella, her face filled with concern. "Arabella," she began. "Is something wrong?"
"No Gran," Ari replied. She quieted, thinking of how it had been when she had first arrived at Star Manor the previous summer. From the first time she had met her grandmother, Alice had been nothing but nice to her. A little eccentric maybe, such as the fuss she'd made over the wand Ari had received at Ollivander's. Just because it was "curious" that Ari had received that particular wand. Ari was sure that her Gran would allow her to spend time at Lily's house, but from Alice's reaction to Jane's family, she highly doubted she would be able to spend any time with the Prewetts this holiday. Ari wasn't even sure she would be able to associate with Jane in school. Realizing she could lose one of her best friends caused that old traitorous thought to rear its ugly head again: Maybe I shouldn't have gone to Hogwarts…
Lily looked at Ari encouragingly. It was now or never, she would have to ask. "Um….Gran?" Ari began hesitantly.
"Yes dear?"
"First of all, could you call me Ari? All of my friends do, even Professor Ward does," she said. "Although that's Sirius' fault; he told Professor Ward to call me that, and now everyone does. I sort of like it."
Alice didn't even blink at the request. "Of course dear, if you prefer to be called Ari then that is what I shall call you," she said, smiling. This time the smile was warm and genuine, not forced like with the Prewetts. Ari's doubts faded, at least for the moment.
"Can Lily stay with us for part of the holidays?" she burst out. Lily looked at her in surprise. It was supposed to be the other way around originally, but Ari knew it had to be this way. She couldn't allow her Gran to think that she wanted to leave her, when their little family was still so new. As much as Ari wanted Jane to stay as well, she wasn't going to risk destabilizing this new relationship. She could easily apologize to Jane later.
Alice didn't miss a beat. "Of course Lily can stay with us if she wants, Ari. Just make sure it's okay with her parents first." She looked around. "Where are your parents anyway?" she asked.
Lily shrugged. "They should probably be right outside the barrier. I don't think that they can get in. They, and my older sister Petunia are Muggles."
"Well then, let's go look for them." They hurried through the barrier, and almost instantly Lily sighted her parents.
As soon as Ari laid eyes on Petunia, she began giggling uncontrollably. Although there was no way Petunia could know it, she exactly matched Lily's description. She was a tall and lanky girl whose face was marred with a sour expression. Her lips curled in disgust when she noticed her younger sister's appearance. The animosity that Petunia felt towards Lily was radiating off her. It was apparent to everyone except, it seemed, her own parents.
Lily, on the other hand, appeared to be exuberantly happy to see her parents. She was swept into a huge hug by each parent in turn, and even gave Petunia a kiss on the cheek, although neither girl looked very happy about it.
However, Alice did not appear to be too pleased about Ari's current behavior. Squirming under her grandmother's scrutiny, Ari barely managed to reign in her laughter.
After Lily had finished greeting her family, she introduced them to Ari and Alice. Pleasantries were exchanged, and Ari noticed that, if anything, Petunia looked even more sullen.
The conversation between the two families was much more pleasant than the one they had held with the Prewetts previously. Lily's parents were two of the kindest people Ari had ever met.
While the group was chatting, they were also walking out of Kings Cross Station, and towards the Evans' car. Ari and Lily were having such a good time telling about the first term, that they didn't even remember to ask about the sleepover plans. When Lily caught sight of her family's car, she stopped right in the middle of explaining to her Mum the different subjects and why Professor Ward was one of the best teachers ever. Lily nudged Ari, who nudged Alice, who quickly turned to Lily's parents.
"Would you mind terribly," she began. "If Lily came to stay with us at Star Manor for part of the holidays?"
Petunia made a face. Actually, it was more like she was turning purple with fury. "See!" she screeched, pointing a finger at Lily. "I told you she was a freak! And now, not only is she a freak, she's a freak who's too good for her own family!" She paused briefly to catch her breath. "Never mind, we don't want her here anyway. Just keep her for all I care!" Petunia ran into the back seat of the car, and slammed the door behind her with a thud. But clearly audible was one last "FREAK!" before she sat down to sulk.
The assorted adults appeared mortified by Petunia's behavior. Lily blushed deeply and Ari was shocked. The Evans' quickly held a whispered conversation, and then Lily's father shook his head in regret and despair.
"I think for now, it is probably best if Lily stays at home. She and Petunia need to…work out their differences. If things seem to be much improved, or if they don't, well, I hope your offer still stands."
Alice nodded. "Perhaps that would be best," she replied, looking at Lily sympathetically.
"Bye Ari," Lily said glumly, as she sat down in the back seat of the car. As the door closed behind her, Ari caught sight of Petunia pushing Lily's bags off the seat.
Alice and Ari stared as the car drove off, Lily pressed against the window waving madly to them until they were out of sight.
Yes, Arabella thought. That was definitely the first time I began to hate Petunia. What a rotten person to have for a sister.
She paused, noticing where she was. Directly outside number four, Privet Drive. Leaning against the front gate for seeming support, Ari waited to see if there was any sort of response from the house.
Nothing. Nothing at all.
Arabella began to haltingly walk up to the house, pausing every so often to lean on the gate for support. She noted a very familiar nose poking through the curtains.
As Arabella reached the front stoop, the nose vanished, and footsteps were heard rushing to the front door. Just as Arabella rang the bell, Petunia opened the door. Well, she hasn't changed much. Now, time to get into character.
Arabella peered down at her. "Hello young lady," she warbled. "You wouldn't be able to spare a glass of water for an old woman, would you?"
Petunia quickly gave Arabella the once over, and evidently failing to notice anything abnormal about her, allowed her in. Over a pitcher of water, the two women began to talk. It didn't take much work on Arabella's part to get Petunia to tell all about her darling Dudley, but that wasn't what Arabella wanted to hear. Also, there was only so much of it she could stand.
"That your only child, Dearie?" she inquired cautiously. Inwardly, Arabella shuddered. The thought of calling Petunia dear when Arabella knew how vicious the woman truly was appalled her. But, she did have a role to play. And, the compliment seemed to work, because Petunia delivered.
"Why yes, Mrs. Figg. Well, actually the other one is my sister's child. Killed in a car crash you know. Dreadful accident. I'm doing my best to raise her child properly."
It took every ounce of Arabella's control not to simply strangle Petunia on the spot. Her, raise Harry PROPERLY!!!! I highly doubt that she'll tell him the first thing about our world. She's as bigoted as my mother was! On top of that lie about a CAR CRASH!!!!!
Petunia continued her story, quite oblivious to the rage boiling within her companion. "So I decided to raise the boy as my own. It was of course, the proper thing to do. Mind you, I'm not trying to speak ill of the dead, but I never did approve of my dear sister's husband. She could have done so much better. I only hope that the Potter boy didn't do any harm to her child in the short time he was raising him."
Arabella quelled her temper, determined to finish the job. "Oh you poor thing, having to raise the boy," she cried, her voice filled with faux sympathy.
"Yes, it is horrible," Petunia sniffed, her eyes tearing up. "I do try, but with my own child, providing proper care is so difficult these days."
Victory! Arabella inwardly cheered. Petunia had given her just the opening she'd needed. "It's been so long since I've been around children," she sighed. "I so miss them. Perhaps if you need a babysitter sometime…" she trailed off.
Petunia looked shocked. "Oh no, I could never part with my Dudley," she cried. Then a glint came into her eye. "Although, if you wanted to watch my nephew, Harry, for me, I'd be eternally grateful."
Arabella tried her hardest to control her glee. Instead of standing up and cheering, she tried to look uncertain. "Well, I don't know," she began. "I guess I would have to see him first. Just to make sure that his father didn't damage him at all."
"Of course you can see him!" Petunia replied, as she leapt to her feet, grinning happily. "I'm sure that you'll find him to your liking. He's not messy at all. Do hold on though, and I'll just get him."
Petunia left the kitchen for a moment, and headed towards the stairs. Arabella quickly got up from the table and peered down the hallway. Her mouth dropped open in horror as she saw Petunia unlock the cupboard under the stairs and remove a basket from it. Arabella slid back into her seat as Petunia returned. Placing the basket on the table, Petunia motioned Arabella over. She looked down and smiled as she noted the familiar jet-black hair fell over his forehead, covering a recently healed cut, which was now in the process of scarring.
Picking her godson up she held him in her arms for the first time in months. A small smile came over her face and a sigh escaped her lips as she brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. A sense of contentment overtook her for the first time since the events of Halloween.
Arabella turned back to Petunia. "Yes," she said. "This will do fine."
Petunia nodded. "So then, three times a week you'll take care of the boy in the mornings?" she questioned, in a sharper tone than before.
Arabella nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. She wanted to be with Harry all the time, but her wits were about her enough to realize that if she requested more time, Petunia would grow suspicious. She replaced Harry in the basket, and as Petunia locked him back up, considered a variety of curses to use on her one of these days. For another half hour, Arabella stayed at the Dursley household to "admire" Dudley, then left to return to her own house, pleading the lateness of the hour.
For every step Arabella took away from the Dursley home, the angrier she grew. The euphoria of holding her godson was wearing off, and now she needed to come to terms with what she had seen. THEY WERE LOCKING HARRY UP IN A CLOSET!!!!!! And worse, even though it was benefiting her immensely, Petunia was willing to give Harry up to a perfect stranger. And that absolute rubbish about a car crash!
Arabella was absolutely fuming by the time she walked through her own door. Dumbledore had called her an unfit guardian? She certainly had a few words to say about that! Grabbing some Floo powder, Arabella leapt into the flames, yelling "Hogsmeade Station!" She then vanished into a puff of smoke.
To be continued…
Author's Note-Wow! I finished this! ::is immensely proud:: I have a lot of people to thank, so here they are in order.
1-To my reviewers: Emeralddstar, Catherine, Amy, Anne, Yam (twice), Leesie, V, JK, Liz and Elle. You guys ROX!!!!!! (If I missed someone, I'm SOOO sorry….AP exams you know.)
2-To Anne and Zsenya, my fabulous betas. (Many MANY thanks to Anne for writing the archaic language…which I am incompetent at. Also Anne, if you hadn't helped me with this ending….I probably would have broken my computer in frustration, so THANK YOU!!!!!)
3-To everyone who helped me figure out how to prevent Arabella from turning into a Mary Sue (my sisters, Anne and Leesie) you are the coolest ever! Especially thanks to Liz and Elle, who were working endlessly to convince me that the chapter doesn't suck.
4-To my RL friends (ali, allie and bovine) what would I do without you? Probably not finished this, that's what.
5-Actually, that wasn't that many. So to everyone who is reading this, you are just the coolest people ever.