Chapter Seven: Morning with the Weasleys
Harry awoke the next day feeling a little groggy. He was still having the same strange dreams that had plagued him since Dumbledore's death. He wished that he could just have a dreamless sleep for once.
Rolling out of bed, Harry began to dress himself. He had to go with Arianna to the ministry today. He had only known the girl for a few short hours, but he was already starting to feel as if he had known her all his life. She seemed like family already, though Harry didn't have the healthiest knowledge of what family should be.
Ron was still sleeping in his bed and Harry didn't feel it would be appropriate to wake him. He didn't have to attend today's meeting and should, therefore, be allowed to sleep in. Reaching for the door, Harry found it locked. Mrs. Weasley had evidently been serious about keeping him locked in his room in order to keep him away from Ginny.
Deciding that Ron slept like the dead, Harry began to bang on the door. "Mrs. Weasley," he shouted, "could you let me out now, please?"
He heard a faint click and opened the door. Making his way downstairs, Harry was greeted by the smell of waffles and maple syrup. He walked into the kitchen to find Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, Remus and Bill all sitting around for breakfast.
"Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, "if that isn't your cooking I smell, whose is it?"
"That would be my dear sister," Bill said, as Ginny poked her head out of the cupboard. She smiled brightly at him and made her way back over to the stove so that she could stir the eggs that were sitting in a frying pan.
Harry stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist while she cooked. Planting a kiss on her temple he said, "Good morning, love."
She leaned into him as she continued to fry her eggs. "Good morning. I hope you're hungry."
"Very," he said, taking his arms from around her and moving over to the table. Sitting down, Harry took a mug of hot coffee that Ginny had placed in the empty seat.
"Where's Ari," Harry asked, "We have to leave soon, don't we."
"She has to get ready," Mr. Weasley said, shaking his head, "I woke her up three times before she actually rolled out of bed. Apparently she was up all night playing exploding snap with the twins."
"Well, she's pretty cool for a queen," Ginny said, giving Harry a plate and pulling up a chair next to him, "I mean, I don't really see Queen Elizabeth risking singed eyebrows."
Harry laughed and heard the door creak. Ari slumped in looking like the living dead. Her hair had been brushed and her makeup applied, but she still looked a little ruffled and very tired. No doubt Fred and George would find the look very appealing. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a black tee shirt that matched her hair and black boots along with it.
"You gonna present yourself to the minister looking like that," Harry asked smiling at her tired form.
"Nope," she said in her American accent, "this is just my breakfast look."
Arianna pulled out a little white bottle from her pocket. It's rattle made it sound as though it were half full of little pills. She popped the cap and dumped three into her hand before popping them in her mouth and using Harry's coffee to down them.
"What are those," Harry asked looking at the bottle curiously.
"Xanax," she said simply, returning his coffee which he took a swig of while she continued, "they get me up in the mornings."
"Can I have one," Harry asked.
"Sure," she said, "but I gotta warn ya, they're a little strong."
"What do they do," Harry asked while the others looked on curiously.
"They just make ya feel good," Ari said, "don't worry though, they aren't strong enough to make you act like an ass."
She popped her bottle open again and dumped a pill into Harry's hand. "Thanks," he said putting the pill in his mouth.
"Are those muggle drugs," Mr. Weasley asked.
Ari nodded and handed him the bottle, which he stared at in awe. "They're prescribed for people with depression," Arianna explained, "so they just make you feel happy. This way Scrimgeur can't piss me off."
Mr. Weasley nodded and handed Ari back her pills. "It's good you asked for one, Harry," Ari said turning her head back to him, "cuz if you didn't, I was gonna make you take one anyway. I don't really like the idea of you getting pissy with the minister."
"So, they're like cheering charms in a capsule," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Exactly," Arianna said, "but they don't screw with your free will and they're time released instead of instantaneous."
They all nodded appreciatively. "Aren't they illegal without a prescription," Remus asked.
Arianna nodded nonchalantly as though she didn't really care about this particular law or that she was breaking it. Remus rolled his eyes while Harry, Ginny and Bill laughed.
"How much time have we got," Ari asked Mr.Weasley.
"Oh, a good forty-five minutes or so," he said looking at his watch.
Ari stepped over to the counter that held a window over it. She heaved her lithe body onto the counter, drew her knees up to her chest, and pulled out a little red cardboard box from her pocket as she did so.
"Do you mind if I smoke," Ari asked Mrs. Weasley as she pulled a lighter from her pocket as well.
"You aren't my child, so I can't tell you not to," Mrs. Weasley said, "but I hope you know that those things can kill you."
"If Voldemort couldn't manage it, I don't think this will," Ari said holding up a cigarette for them to see before putting it between her lips.
"How exactly do those things work," Mr. Weasley asked in fascination,
"You just light em' and breath in the smoke," Ari said, her cigarette bobbing with each word.
"What's the point of them," he asked.
"No point," Ari said lighting the cigarette and inhaling, "I just like them."
"Ari," Harry said turning his head toward her, "have you always known that you would be a queen?"
"Yep," she said, blowing out a puff of smoke afterward.
"So then…how did you manage…to be so …cool," he asked now, smiling. Ari laughed and took another hit of her cigarette.
"I just tried to be normal," Ari said, "I wasn't trying to be cool. And what is it exactly that makes me cool, anyway?"
"Well," Ginny said, "you're beautiful and smart, and you're bi and open about it which is totally cool, and you stay up all night playing games and acting stupid. But then you turn around and you're this powerful person who gives orders and plans rescue missions. How do you do it?"
Arianna blushed before saying, "That's just who I am. Growing up Grandpa told me to be normal while I could and have fun while I could because one day I would have to be a great leader, and a leader cant be great if they know nothing about the people that they're leading."
"That sounds like something Dumbledore would say," Harry said wistfully as he watched Ari make smoke rings.
She nodded and extended her box of cigarettes toward the table asking, "Any body want one?"
Ginny nodded and stepped forward to take a cigarette from the box. "Ginny," her mother admonished, "you know I don't like those things."
"Oh, mother," Ginny said, taking the lighter from Ari, "I'm sixteen now and its completely legal."
"Is that true," Mrs. Weasley asked, turning her head toward Ari, "Is sixteen the legal age?"
"I don't know," Ari said, shrugging her shoulders, "in America you have to be eighteen. But they always sold them to me and I'm only seventeen."
"She is legal, Molly," Remus said though Harry wasn't entirely sure this was true.
"Oh, alright," she said to Ginny, "but I don't want this to become a habbit."
"Too late for that," Harry heard Ginny whisper in Arianna's ear. He was fairly sure that no one else had heard.
"You know," Lupin said to Ari, "for the next leader of the wizarding world, you don't hold much store by the law."
"Neither did you at seventeen, Moony," Ari said before blowing a cloud of smoke at him. Harry laughed as Remus blushed.
"Yes well that was…"
"Completely different," Ari said, doing a great impersonation of and adult.
"I don't really see the appeal," Harry said, looking at the cigarettes while the girls smoked, "I mean, why do it?"
Ari shrugged and said, "Why not?"
About a half an hour later Harry, Ari and Mr. Weasley were standing before the fire in the den. The fire was roaring now as Mr. Weasley rummaged around for floo powder.
"Are you planning on meeting the minister in that outfit," Harry whispered to Ari, "Not that it isn't nice, I just don't think it's appropriate."
"Oh, I forgot," Ari said, slapping her head. She waved her hand in front of her and, voila, she looked completely different. She wore a white gown of pleated linen and her hair hung in long braids. Her eyes were outlined in dark charcoal and a golden headdress, bearing a cobra and vulture, rested above her brow. She had instantly become the most regal thing that Harry had ever seen. He noticed as well that her dress was cut in a deep v-neck, which left her scar exposed for all to see.
"I want everyone to know exactly who I am," Arianna offered in explanation, "Oh, and make sure that you don't call me Ari. In front of the minister I am Your Highness, or Your Majesty, or Queen Arianna. Anything along those lines ought to be fine."
Harry nodded as the fire turned green. Ari was the first to step in and Mr. Weasley followed her. When they all arrived on the other side, Harry noticed that Arianna didn't have a spec of dirt on her. She stood tall before him and even though he could not read her face, he was sure that the look on it was stern enough to even put McGonagall to shame.
A.N: I would like to thank Bloodless Ace and Harry Rukes for sticking with my story and reviewing every chapter. I know that I'm getting a lot of hits so please, every one else, be a good reader and review. I'm even open to flamers, and I'm going to try my best from now on to respond to as many reviews as possible.
