Disclaimer: Characters, places, items, etc. are owned by J.K. Rowling…except the ones I made up.
AN: Just so y'all know, I'm not crazy. I just enjoy writing…a lot. Anyway, I've had this idea since the end of OotP and am going to write the story as though nothing in HBP happened. I thought HBP spelled the end of my story idea, but after much deliberating I have decided to go ahead and write it. Hope it comes out okay. Seriously, I've had this idea since I first read OotP back when it came out.
AN: Read and review!
Prologue
Ari stood in front of the train station, staring at the place where she would be taken from everything she knew like a speeding bullet. Lowering her head and closing her eyes, she thought of all her friends back home who were all going to school together, laughing at the marvelous things they had done during the summer. Her best friend, Kahlen, had been so excited for her. Being accepted to the most prestigious wizarding school in the world as an exchange student was not something to be glanced over. "Oh Ari, you'll have so much fun there! I've read all about it! It sounds amazing! You have to owl me about everything!"
Ari smiled as she remembered the night before she and her family left for England. Kahlen and Maisy had come over for their annual Back-to-School Party. The three of them had been inseparable since they had started at the Salem Witches' Institute five years ago. Ironically, being in different houses didn't bother them one bit. Both Kahlen and Maisy keep feeding Ari fact upon fact about Hogwarts- who the headmaster was, what famous people had gone there, et cetera, et cetera. Hoping that the distance over the next year wouldn't change anything, Ari sighed and waited with her parents for the man who would escourt them to the train.
She had received her letter of acceptance to the exchange student program earlier that summer. Her mother was completely ecstatic, as Hogwarts had been her school. Her father just stood there, in shock that his only child was going so far away, as her mother went on and on about school. Her parents had met through mutual friends about two years after her mom had graduated from Hogwarts. She got a job with the International Magic Cooperation Office and traveled to America when they needed a representative for England. Her father worked in the Muggle Relations office and one night after hours, they met and had been together ever since. Her father had gone to the Northwest Academy for Witches and Wizards. It had always been a little weird for Ari with parents who went to two different schools and had two completely different ideas on how to raise a 'special' magical daughter.
Feeling her father place a hand on her shoulder, Ari looked up at him, noticing that he had anxiety written all over his face. "Papa, I'll be fine. I promise." Placing a hand on her fiery head, her father sighed. "I know, sweet. It's just no use. I'll miss you too much." Her mother had been crying randomly over the past few days. "Ms. Shields?" Ari looked up and saw a wizened man pushing through the crowd. His beard and hair were as silver as the full moon, but his eyes were incredibly kind. People were giving him strange looks for his outfit- the standard wizard robe, black but with twinkling blue stars all over. "Oh my goodness!" Her mother whispered. "It's Professor Dumbledore." Ari smiled. She knew her mother idolized him as one of the most amazing wizards she had ever met.
Dumbledore knew immediately that Ari would fit in wonderfully at Hogwarts. She had such unique eyes…and a secret that he knew about and that others would want to know. He stopped in front of the family. "It is such a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Shields," Dumbledore greeted as he held out a hand to Ari. "Thank you, Professor." Ari smiled as he shook her parents' hands. "Well, I believe we should get you to the train." The three followed the wizard through the train station. Once they arrived at the train, Ari's bags and owl were whisked away and put in a compartment near the front. "Ms. Shields, I have taken the pleasure of securing you a compartment. Now, I must take my leave. I will meet with you once you arrive at Hogwarts." With that, Dumbledore strode away to speak to the train conductor and then Disapparated to Hogsmeade.
Ari turned back to her parents with bright eyes. The train blew its whistle, signaling all to board. She quickly hugged her parents. "Love you." After watching her parents struggle to let her go, she followed the train conductor to her compartment and watched as her new life left the station.
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Ari's first semester of classes went by so quickly. She was still in awe of the amazing grounds at Hogwarts. She absolutely loved the lake, especially with the Giant Squid. She loved just watching it swim. She had also made a few friends. During that first night there, she had been told that she would not be sorted into a house, but that it was up to her to choose who she would spend her time with. On the train, she had the great fortune of meeting the sweetest girl- Lily Evans. She was so accepting that she invited her to sit with her housemates at dinner. She had a blast and became so enamored with the Gryffindor house. Lily and her housemates was who she decided to spend her free time with.
Ari sat and stared out the window at the freshly-fallen snow. Thank goodness it was the weekend. She put on warm clothes and ran downstairs to meet Lily and her friends. That was how she met one Sirius Black. Apparently he had gotten it in his head that he liked her, but she had no idea how. Yes, he was funny and charming and was easy to talk to, but that whole macho thing just wasn't for her. And there was also the fact that he loved to torment this one boy from an opposing house. She couldn't figure out why Sirius loved to torture him. It was so crass and uncalled for.
After spending some time outside that day watching her friends throw snowballs at each other, Ari had enough and went back inside. She wandered to the library, knowing that no one would be there. Here was where she could be found if she was feeling melancholy. The smell of the old books always soothed her. As she walked back to her 'spot', she saw that a dark, brooding boy, the one that Sirius loved to torment, was studying. Why in the world would someone be studying on a day like this? From what she had gathered, this boy was quite a loner, always doing extra assignments. For that, he continually caught the edge of Sirius and his friends' restlessness. But what she could not figure out was why she was enthralled by him.
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Over the Easter holidays, Ari spent much of her time in the library, finishing her assignments so that she could have a few hours of fun in the fresh air. Getting up to get a book she needed to answer this question for Transfiguration, she caught sight of the one boy whose visage she could never shake. He was again studying to his heart's content. Watching him feverishly write on the parchment was entrancing and soothing. Shaking herself out of her reverie, Ari grabbed the book and went back to studying.
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Even though she was an exchange student, she still had to take those dreaded exams…the Ordinary Wizarding Levels. She had spent most of that year trying to catch up on what her classmates at Hogwarts had learned over the past five years. All she could do was hope for the best since she knew she would be going home in a few weeks. Apparently, these tests would supplement the ones her friends were currently enduring- the EMT Tests (Excruciating Magical Theory Tests). She hoped they were as hard as the OWLs were.
Finishing up her test of the Dark Arts, Ari met Lily outside the Great Hall and they made their way outside. "So what did you think of the test?" Lily asked her with a smile as they sat down next to the lake. Ari sighed. "It was okay. We still have one more, though. I just hope Transfiguration goes okay. That's the one I've been really worried about."
Lily smiled, knowing the Ari would do superb. "You know you have nothing to worry about. You are an incredibly talented witch…" Lily winked at that last statement, causing Ari to go into a fit of giggles.
"I don't believe it…" Lily said, shocked. She vaulted from the ground and ran over to the scene that was fast becoming an attraction for the masses. Ari had never seen her friend so upset. She stayed seated until she heard Lily yell. "Leave him ALONE!"
Ari jumped up and ran over to where Lily was standing, completely fuming at an attractive boy who was the star of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She watched in a daze as she saw James Potter and Sirius tormenting the dark, brooding boy who seemed to take her breath away whenever she wasn't careful. Quickly becoming incensed at the scene, she could not take her eyes off of the boy who was now hanging upside down in the air. Becoming aware of the people around her looking at her strangely, she realized that she was giving her secret away by becoming so angry. Stepping away from the scene, Ari felt her body temperature rise, portending of soon-to-be doom. Unable to stop the fire coursing through her veins as she watched Lily walk hurriedly towards her, she closed her eyes and waited for Lily to meet her. "Ari, let's go. I can't take the stupidity any more!" Lily was so worked up, if she had had Ari's 'special gift', her hair would be on fire right now.
That night, Ari had trouble sleeping. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his humiliated face. Realizing that she needed some fresh air, she opened her window…and flew out of it.
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That last day at Hogwarts, Ari was completely taken aback at how sad she was. She had fallen in love with this place, every little idiosyncrasy in every hallway. She felt so at home here it was scary. On the train ride back to London, she sat in the compartment with Lily and the others, smiling at their jokes, but never really saying anything. It was so hard for her to leave behind this life and go back to her old one. Salem was not Hogwarts…and she wished for the life of her it was.
Outside the train, she embraced Lily with a tearful goodbye. "Lily, here is my address. Send me letters the Muggle way this summer and then we can send them our way during the school year, okay?" Lily looked at the wonderful girl in front of her and knew that she would miss her new close friend. "I will. Next year won't be the same without you!" With a final hug and some more tears, Ari walked through the train station and met her parents outside.
Home was never the same after that. She missed her Hogwarts friends with a vengeance. It didn't make sense because she was so happy to see Kahlen and Maisy again, but she missed the history of Hogwarts. It seemed to bind everyone there together, whether they liked it or not. And she had no words to describe what she had experienced there.
Ari would always look back at the fateful year at Hogwarts that would shape her future…thirteen years later…
AN: Okay, so please R&R! I need to know what y'all think!